The Thief & The Tea Shop
by hit-that-YEET
Summary: You're an orphaned thief trying to make a living in the slums of Ba Sing Se. One day, you meet a teen who works at the local tea shop. Tags: slowburn, lore, LOTS OF LORE,
1. Chapter 1 - Golden Eye

"That one's seven silver pieces." You say to the short, elderly man, as he points to one of the goods on the table. The teapot is in perfect condition; it's made of dark, smooth clay and has some silver, floral detailing on the surface. It definitely sticks out amongst the other trinkets on your market table.

"It's a beautiful tea pot. May I?" He gently smiles as he gestures at the gaudy teapot.

"Go for it." You reply, giving a casual shrug, yet watching the bearded man carefully as he raises the delicate piece. Should he try to run off, you're ready to quickly put a stop to the situation. It wouldn't be the first time a shady character tried to make off with some expensive-looking junk from your "imported-goods" stand.

But rather than looking for an opportunity to snag the teapot, the man seems genuinely invested in the design. He carefully circles his thumb over the floral detailing. You watch, now not so much ready to strike, but rather to join his awe of the striking details. You hadn't given it much attention before, but it's definitely one of the 'pricier' looking items you have lined on the table. You recall the traditional mansion you were in when you stole that one.

"Where did you say these goods were from again?" inquires the man. Without missing a beat, you repeat the same lines you've gotten used to saying.

"Ah, everything here is imported from around the nations. It's a collection of donations or sometimes, forgotten items. Everything not sold elsewhere might just find its way to this stand." You beam the sweetest possible smile you can muster this early in the morning.

"Are you purchasing that teapot?" you question. He looks over the, in your opinion, just slightly-above-average teapot one more time, before speaking again.

"This white lotus design is a rare find… I'll take it." He hands you the 7 silver pieces and continues on his way. Well that was a bit out of place. You didn't expect to find a well-spoken, teapot connoisseur on the market street of lower ring Ba Sing Se. Just your average commoners, and… sometimes the less friendly folk of the outer circle. Those are the kinds of people who try to steal your— well, already stolen goods.

Hours pass, and the morning turns to evening. The items at your stand sold out. You made sure to only display as much as you could sell. You have no intention of lugging around "inventory", as this isn't a regular market operation. You count your earnings for the day and make your way home. A walk down the street and a trip through a narrow and littered alley brings you to the clearing behind a local tea shop. A crumbling stone staircase climbs the back of the Pao Family Tea Shop. Rent is cheap and Pao doesn't ask questions. The stairs reach a small opening to the attic of the building: your "apartment". The ceiling is slanted, and it's better described as 'cozy' rather than spacious, but it has everything you need:

A small, wooden wardrobe for your street clothes (and your favourite 'borrowed' clothes), a large window ledge that doubles as a small balcony (since you could never have fear of heights, considering your line of work), and lastly, a silk-covered rollout futon with a matching sheet (a find from a recent job, to replace your old, worn-out one).

Any other belonging are haphazardly piled in a corner of the room. There's your medium-sized chest with a double lock, in which you safely store your coins. Leaning against it is a sheathed katana, another one of your finds. You also left your red mask tossed on the floor since your last job, but you couldn't be bothered to pick it up.

You are a thief, and to this day you haven't been caught. Ba Sing Se is your city, and you know the streets inside and out. You suspect something mysterious going on with the Dai Li, the city's secretive police force, but know well enough to stay out of their way. You make a good living off of your "imported goods" stand, which is open only a handful of days per week. The rest of your time is spent collecting inventory in the middle ring.

However, tonight is your self-given night off. Partially because you've had a few close calls and needed to lay low for a bit. Shake the earth bending guard off the tail of the "Red Spirit". There's been a few wanted posters popping up here and there, each displaying a rough sketch that is unmistakably similar to your red mask, which is by the way, still on the floor of your atti—apartment.

For tonight, your night off, you plan to treat yourself. A night of some good Earth Kingdom food, then maybe you would check out the tea shop you live above. Not being a huge tea fan, you've never bothered to check it out. Recently, though, there's been a lot of buzz about that very tea shop, so you decide that you should check it out for yourself.

The streets of your particular neighborhood are lively at night. You enjoy a ramen bowl from your favourite local noodle shop. After your meal, which set you back twelve silver pieces in total, you make your way home. You almost turn down the alley, nearly forgetting your plan to visit the tea shop, but a distant conversation catches your ear. You hear two male voices, arguing over… tea? You follow your ears and are led to the front of the tea shop. You no longer need to listen attentively, seeing as both voices are now yelling and you are positioned in the front entrance. You can clearly hear and see the commotion inside, to the left wall and two tables down.

"Well maybe if you hadn't gotten in my way, you'd be enjoying your tea right now!" hisses the first voice. It sounds young, but rough and full of fiery rage.

"Is that anyway to speak to a paying customer?!" The second voice has a deep rumble, and came from a large adult, twice the height and triple the width of the meer teenager who sports a tea shop apron. Although, the teenager isn't the scrawny type. You notice his rather muscular build. Nonetheless, he might as well have been a twig compared to the huge, brawny man that stood before him.

You cautiously slip past the scene and take a seat near the kitchen end of the tea shop. You push through a few customers who are hastily making their way to the door, probably in an effort to avoid the situation before things get ugly. For you, however, a warm drink and a show sounds like the perfect way to end the night.

"Welcome." Another tea shop employee greets as he approaches you. Not another teenager, but rather an older man with a gentle nature. His gaze is fixed on the commotion happening across the store, yet he calmly asks you for your order. That's when you recognize him as the grey and bearded teapot man from that morning. He doesn't mention your earlier encounter. Either he doesn't recognize you, or doesn't want to pay you much attention. He walks away to fetch your jasmine tea, and you notice his ability to keep a constant eye on the disturbance. You turn your head as well and observe.

"Well MAYBE, little man, you should apologize for spilling that scorching tea on me?" the man bellows as he stands up to tower over the teenager. His chair is flung carelessly to the side as he does this.

"I'll show you scorching—", the teen's rage matches, no, exceeds the man's burliness. Through his lengthy dark hair, you can see his face burning red with fury. Especially crimson is— wait, or is that a scar across his left eye? The boy takes a few steps back and assumes a battle stance.

"Woah woah, Lee, please. Apologize to the gentleman, then head back to the kitchen for your duties", came the voice of the bearded man who took your order. He had just arrived at the scene and immediately sets to work calming down both parties. The dark haired boy scowls, but eventually bows his head, ever so slightly. You hear him half-heartedly apologize through gritted teeth, then watch him spin around and make his way to the back of the store. Your eyes follow him as he...approaches you?

"What are you staring at?" he spits as he practically pushes past you and disappears behind the kitchen door. Someone's a little hot-headed.

Your attention was on the boy. Your keen senses notice his distinctive golden eyes. Not something you often see in the Earth Kingdom. His left eye was painted by a deep red scar, but it was hard to see under his long and unkempt fringe.

You didn't notice the bearded employee calm down the raging man with a charismatic ease. You didn't notice the tea shop fill with customers after the upset had ended.

In that moment, all you could think about was the boy with the golden eyes.


	2. Chapter 2 - Apple Of My Eye

A night off was just the thing you needed. You swirl the remaining tea in your cup and breathe in the aromatic jasmine scent. A light chatter now fills the Pao Family Tea Shop. Disregarding the argument from moments ago, the atmosphere is warm, cozy, and peaceful. You look up from your tea and glance over the counter.

Maybe you'll see Mr. Pao, your landlord? No, that's not who you want to look at.

You're thinking about the boy with the golden eyes. Your gaze turns back to your teacup, but don't want to take that last sip. You should probably start heading to your room…. but what if that boy from the argument comes back? You could double check his eye colour! Were his eyes really golden?

Of course they were. There's no mistaking it. You wouldn't be so keen if the eyes were some other, vaguely similar color. Golden eyes are uncommon to the people of the Earth Kingdom, but not unusual to you. Your own golden eyes weren't playing tricks on you, his irises are the same colour as your own. You glance at a nearby window and see yourself staring back.

Shit, it's that dark out already? How long were you in the teashop? Definitely time to head home, as you have a busy day planned for tomorrow.

—

The new silk futon allowed for a decent night's rest. It's a drastic upgrade from your previous sleeping arrangement. Your eyelids crack open, and you make your way out of bed. The lack of light filtering through the window reveals that it's not quite dawn yet. Perfect. You pick up your twin daggers and slip one into each leather boot. Then, you fill a large brown shoulder bag with your red mask and a small coin purse. The bag is practically empty, ready to be filled with the items you will soon acquire. You have to travel light since your trips back tend to be a lot heavier.

The walk from your home to the monorail station is a peaceful one. The usually bustling market is silent, save for the few birds chirping here and there. You breathe in the crisp morning air, and it tastes cleaner and more fresh than the usual lower ring atmosphere.

The monorail station has only a handful of people. A monorail car arrives, and you spot a few refugees coming into the city. Once they step out of the vehicle, you board the train car. After a few minutes, the Earth benders get to work powering the monorail. The trip into the middle ring is the easy part. Within an hour or so, you pass the wall that separates lower and middle ring. There's a drastic change in scenery. Unpaved streets become smooth stone roads. Old and rickety shops and homes are now pristine boutiques and traditional Earth Kingdom houses. The richest citizens lived in huge mansions. Those usually had the pricey trinkets you were after. Everywhere you look there seems to be a splash of green, whether it be the green-tiled roofs or the abundance of plant life.

The monorail makes frequent stops at stations, picking up and dropping off all sorts of civilians. You survey the locale and decide to get off at the next stop. This particular area had some aesthetically pleasing landscaping and gardens, or as you saw it, plenty of pleasant hiding places.

You thank the earth benders as you step out of the monorail. The ability to bend always fascinated you. Continuing out of the station, you reminisce about your rough childhood in the slums, remembering when you tried your hand at earth bending. To your immense disappointment, you just weren't born with the bending ability. The benders start to move the monorail again, and you watch them disappear with silent envy.

You have a whole day to scope out the area. Aimlessly walking the streets, you feign interest in the various wares displayed by merchants. In reality, you're looking past the merchandise, inspecting the buildings and taking note of entrances and exits. You're also careful to avoid certain stores, such as ones that you've hit recently. Striking the same spot twice is risky, and the last thing you want to do is draw even more attention to the thieving 'Red Spirit.'

After thoroughly scouting the market district, you casually make your way to the residential area. You move deliberately down the streets, looking for easy targets. One house per street will do. It's best to leave the impression of a common street thief; maybe a homeless person trying to get by. Well, actually, that first description isn't far off. You wouldn't describe yourself as common, but you really are just a street thief trying to make a decent living. Not everyone is born into such a lavish lifestyle, after all.

Going over your mental 'hit list' one more time, you make your way to a produce stand. All this surveying has left you peckish, so get a quick snack. A green apple costs you eight copper pieces. What a rip off. You make small talk and pocket a second green apple with ease. With a wave farewell, you turn around and bite into the first apple. You'll need your energy for tonight.

Night starts to fall, and you watch over a select area from a rooftop. Waiting for the time to strike, you and begin to finish your second apple. Your first target is a specialty teapot shop. Something about the teapots seemed to demand your attention. Watching over the building, you find your mind drifting around and replaying yesterday's events. You met the bearded tea connoisseur (you made good money off the teapot you sold him). You kinda met the golden-eyed tea shop employee? Oh, and that jasmine tea you ordered was, surprisingly, delicious. You have tea on the mind, it's no wonder you ended up choosing this tea shop.

The sun is setting, meaning it's almost time to start. Beautiful colours begin to shade in the sky as the sun hangs low on the horizon, casting shadows over the grand city. You lean over the edge of the roof and peer down the alley behind the tea shop. It's a very long stretch of narrow street, a decent getaway path. Five buildings down, a dumpster blocks most of the alley. Bored, you pick up one of your apple cores and take aim. With a swift toss, it soars through the twilight and a barely audible thump is heard as it lands in the metal container. Pleased with yourself, you raise the second core and launch it in the same fashion. Your follow its flight path and— at the last moment, a person steps into the alley and in front of the dumpster.

Instead of another quiet thump, you hear:

"Ow! What the fu—"

Who did you just hit? You'd be in tears laughing if he wasn't currently staring directly at you.

You couldn't make out his face, he was five buildings down. The setting sunlight wasn't helping your cause either. The stranger, however, must have very keen eyes AND spatial sense, even in the dim light of the evening. How else would he know EXACTLY where the apple core came from?

"HEY!" he yells at you. Crap. Whoever this is better keep quiet, a low profile is one of your top priorities. Instead of engaging with the stranger, you shimmy to the other side of the roof and duck out of view. Let him think you're just some kid playing a prank. You peak your head up to make sure the stranger is gon—

SMACK

You just got pegged in the left eye by your own apple core.


	3. Chapter 3 - White Jade

Damn that hurt. It really really hurt.

You tenderly touch your eyelid, feeling the already swollen skin. Whoever that guy was, he had one hell of an arm. A solid throw, with impeccable aim. As much as you respect the stranger's apple core-chucking talents, you are also incredibly angry. That is definitely gonna leave a mark. What if it leaves a black eye? No no no, that's no good. What kind of customer is going to want to buy your products? A vendor with a mean-looking black eye isn't exactly the approachable sort. Wait, the apple probably touched the ground. Middle ring aside, there are still germs on the ground. You could contract pink eye, ew.

Well shit. Your face is done for.

Okay, pull it together. You still have a job to do, and your face will just have to wait.

Even slower than the last time, you peek over the edge, ready to deflect any projectile. Only this time, nothing is hurled at you. You squint into the shadows with your one and a half eyes, just to see an empty alley. Whoever your victim/attacker was, he's definitely gone now. With a long sigh, you curse at yourself about your carelessness. Now you'll have to work with subpar vision. In your line of work, having your senses sharp is crucial.

With a long sigh, you retrieve your bag and pull out your red mask. It was strangely beautiful under the moonlight, the glow of the night softly illuminating the golden trim, giving it a ghostly gleam. You begin to appreciate your fitting title: The Red Spirit. You put it to your face carefully, not wanting to aggravate the dull pain in your left eye. Once the mask is secure, you shrug your basically empty bag back onto your shoulders, and prep yourself for the night ahead of you.

With a running start, you hop over the rooftops with practiced agility. However, as you land on the roof of the marked shop, you stumble a bit. If it weren't for that damn eye injury, you would have fallen as graceful as a falling feather. Why did that stupid guy with his stupid aim have to hit you with your own stupid apple core! Urgh, there's no time for self-pity now. You find your chosen entrance, a window with a loose wooden frame, and infiltrate the shop.

You take a quick look around, and you're instantly let down. Where's all the fine china? The intricate clay creations carved with delicate designs? The only things displayed upon the rows of shelves are everyday, cast iron teapots. True to the earth bender way, they're easy to maintain, traditional, and very heavy. Screw the teapots. Instead, you walk towards the back of the store, thinking to take a few silvers from behind the counter to compensate for this bust of a job, when you smell it.

Yes, you smell it.

Tea leaves. You follow your nose towards the wafting aroma until you find the source. Before you is a line of wooden barrels, each full of a different herb with a unique smell. Sniffing each one, you take in the all the sweet and spice and savour of each container. Singling out the one that smells the best to you, you glance at the barrel to read the tea name. 'White Jade'. The wooden container holding this tea is colored differently from the rest. Specialty tea maybe? You gently crack the seal on the barrel and grab handfuls of the herbs. They smell earthy, yet florally. Spicy yet sweet. You can't quite describe it with words, but you know it smells DELICIOUS. You look around, and eye some paper bags on a shelf. It's quite likely that storing tea is their main purpose. On you're way out, you snag a handful of paper bags. Those will come in handy on at the market.

After 'obtaining' a satisfying amount of tea, you climb back through the broken window. You only have so many hours left before daylight.

Many, many stops later, your eye still throbbed. That's definitely a black eye, you didn't need mirror to tell. You acquired quite a bit of goods, but your bag still felt lighter than average. But uh, it did have tremendous amount of loose tea contained within it. By the time you climb onto your favourite roof in the middle ring, the baby birds had already begun to chirp. Though it was still dark, you knew you had cut it close tonight. Your eye injury had made you a bit slower than usual, and you hated it. You crawl over to your regular nap spot, bag in hand, and curled up around your hard work, letting the exhaustion take over.

The sun was beating down overhead when you woke up, almost entirely centered in the clear sky. With a stretch, you let out a small yawn before rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Ah! You had forgotten about your black eye and had rubbed a little too hard. You stand up, lugging your bag onto your back. Climbing down skillfully into an alley, you re-emerge into the bustling city life of Ba Sing Se's suburban wonderland: the middle ring. Confidently striding in the direction of the monorail station, you start on your journey home.

—

Thinking maybe your taste buds have changed, you try to brew your own batch of white jade tea in the comfort of your own home. The smell of tea leaves followed you home the whole trip, and they smelled very nice. Brewing tea can't be that hard, right? You've never been so wrong. For comparison purposes, you somehow made it taste like what you assume the dirtiest parts of the Ba Sing Se Zoo would taste like. The tea was more than just bitter, it was disgusting. How did you turn such lovely smelling herbs into such a nasty concoction?

Giving up on your little tea party, you grab today's wares and set out to the market square. Once there, you set up last night's bounty on the table in front of you; mostly jewelry and ornate decorations, anything small and pricey looking that would be easily missed. Even with your big black shiner, the usual amount of customers stopped by your stall, dropping their silvers and coppers into your pocket. Now that was a good feeling, you reflect.

"Ah, hello again Miss." You snap out of your reverie and find yourself face to face with the bearded tea lover, a warm smile on his face. "Good afternoon, Sir," you reply with a genuine grin and respectful head nod. This man was beginning to grow on you, and you couldn't help but feel at ease with his presence.

"Thank you for the teapot. It is a charming piece and makes a great pot of jasmine tea. Did you enjoy your drink at the Pao Family Tea House?" he inquires. That sneaky old man, he really did notice you that day.

"Yes, I did! It tasted ten times better than tea I make myself" you reply, cringing internally as you remember the garbage-tasting tea from earlier. The senior man semi-suppresses a chuckle.

"You sound sound like my nephew. Why don't you visit us again at the teashop sometime? Speaking of my nephew, allow me to introduce you. Nephew? Lee! Come here, nephew!" He raises his voice to catch the attention of a younger man across the road. The teen reluctantly strolls over. You try to hide your surprise when you realize who the man's nephew is.

"This is Lee, my nephew." He gestures to none only but golden-eyes.

"Say hello to the pretty lady, Lee." Lee shuffles awkwardly, meeting your gaze for only a split second.

"Uh, hello," he speaks. He's now looking past you, probably at something in the distance.

"Hi," you reply. The old man, who had also followed his nephew's gaze, went wide-eyed.

"You'll have to excuse me, but I've spied something interesting that I need to attend to." With that, the bearded man scurries off at a shockingly quick pace, considering his age.

That left you and Lee, standing stiffly at your vending table. After he angrily mumbles something about 'Pai Sho" in the direction of his uncle, both of you are silent, staring at each other. Up close, you have a clear and unobstructed view of the flaming red scar that ran across the side of his face.

"How did you get that scar?" you finally inquire, but at the exact same time he asks, "What's on your face?"

You're suddenly more aware of the subdued ache of your left eye. You turn your head slightly, embarrassed about the events attached to the bruise. A tale that you are never going to tell another living soul. You peer at the teen across from you and see he is also avoiding eye contact. You conclude that neither of you were prepared to spill their story any time soon. You cough nervously, fidgeting with the merchandise on your table.

That's when Lee's uncle returns. Suddenly remembering your new product, you smile widely at the old man, "Oh, you'll never guess what I have for you today, sir." He tilts his head curiously as you open your backpack and pull out a paper bag.

You toss it to the tea maker, watching his expression transform from one of confusion to one of excitement as he smells the bag. "Is this White Jade?" he asks incredulously. You simply nod, feeling pretty proud of yourself now. You cleverly notice his great excitement and assume that this White Jade tea is the expensive sort.

"I would normally charge five gold pieces for a bundle, but for you, I'll cut a deal." you tell him.

The old man eagerly digs through his pocket, pulling out gold pieces for the purchase. He purchases five bundles of tea leaves at your discounted price. He laughs loudly and hugs you suddenly, taking you by surprise.

"What a deal for such a rare product! Stop by the tea house anytime!" he says gleefully. At the sound of the word rare, a few people begin to gather around your stall. Everybody wants a piece of your goods, and you couldn't be happier. That is, until some street punk decides to swipe a jewel-encrusted necklace from your inventory right in front of you!

You're on him instantly. "Thief!" you yell, catching everyone's attention. The old man from before is close by, and he gives you a wink.

"I'll watch your belongings," he states, and you take it as your cue to chase down the bastard who thinks he can steal your (already once stolen) wares.

Footsteps pound on the dirt road as you chase the looter down the street, dodging people left and right as you dash faster and faster. He turns down an alley in an attempt to lose you, but you're too quick, making the sharp right like a pro. To the culprit's dismay, he picked a dead end path. He turns around, only to have you blocking his way.

Staring each other down, you take a few steps closer. "Just hand over the necklace," you demand. Looking defeated, the thief extends his arm, the jewelry hanging from his grimy little fingers. You reach out to grab it, only for the criminal to charge at you, sending you both into the ground with a loud thud.

Air escapes your lungs as you hit the solid ground.


	4. Chapter 4 - Sleight Of Hand

You roll over on your side, ready to seriously beat the shit out of the punk who thought he could mess with you when you suddenly hear a yelp and a thud from the other end of the passage. You're on your feet now. As you turn towards the commotion, you see Lee? Standing over the thief!

"Return what isn't yours!" Lee growls at the man with the underhand, venom oozing in his voice. The man immediately drops the necklace and scrambles away for good. With a sigh, Lee picks up the pendant.

"Ha!" You scoff. "He thought it'd be easy to mess with me." You hold out your hand for Lee to return the recovered item.

He pulls it away, scowling at you, "Don't you mean 'Thank you'?"

You frown at the teen. "What do you mean? I had it all under control!" you retort, slightly offended.

Lee lets out a short laugh. "Sure looked like it when he plowed straight into you."

Okay, now you're angry.

"I don't remember asking for your help, tea boy, and I can handle myself." At 'tea boy', his expression morphs.

"You needed my help. Without me, you might've been beaten into the ground. This isn't a friendly neighborhood you know. " he lectures, his voice becoming more and more infuriating. You take a few steps closer to him, leaving about a five-foot gap.

"Oh, believe me, I know exactly what goes on in these streets," your tone changes to a low and serious one. "You shouldn't underestimate me."

"Oh really? I know that without me, that creep would be long gone with your stuff. Why won't you admit I'm right and thank me for helping you?" He glares aggressively at you, also stepping closer during the heated argument.

You stand there in frustration, your eyes locked with Lee's. Who cares about his stupid yellow eyes? Who cares that he's a potential clue to your unknown heritage? He needs to be taught a lesson.

You watch his eyes some more, awaiting the perfect moment to make your move, and as he blinks, you lunge toward him. This surprises him, but he skillfully parries your palm strike, pushing you backward in the process. You are now deeper into the alley, but instead of attacking again, you raise your left hand and show Lee his coin bag. It takes him a second; he looks at you, then pats his pockets, and looks back towards you with wide eyes. Mastering sleight of hand at the age of eleven come in handy (pun very much intended).

"H-Hey!" he yells. You can see that he's thoroughly astounded, kinda impressed, but mostly angry. Before he can do anything else, you pivot in place and bolt further down the alley, straight towards the dead-end. With a leap, you step off a crate and kick off the brick wall. This gives you just enough vertical to grip the roof of the building with your free hand. After pulling yourself up, you turn to stare down at Lee, who is gawking at you with his mouth hung open. With a chuckle, you pull down the lower lid of your unbruised eye and stick out your tongue.

The teenage boy rolls his eyes at your mocking. Before you see anything more, you dash toward the next building. For all you know, Lee could be following you up the wall. Your current goal is to leave him in your dust. With ease, you leap from roof to roof in broad daylight. The market stalls grow closer until you're just above your table. You drop down, landing lightly on the balls of your feet, and proceed to collect your belongings.

"Did you get your stuff back?" asks the bearded man. He watches you cram expensive knick-knacks and tea-filled paper bags into your trusty larger bag. He had indeed kept his word about watching your stuff, and for that you were grateful. He's currently laid back in a chair near the table, lounging in the cool shadow of a nearby building. Being in a bit of a rush (who knows how close behind Lee is), you hastily thank him, but with genuine gratitude, then race in the direction of your home.

That's enough market fun for one day. Ensuring Lee isn't nearby, you climb the stairs behind Pao's tea house, locking the small door behind you. You finally let yourself relax. With a sigh, you flop into your soft, silk futon (which is still unrolled, you're not the type who makes their bed every day). You let your eyes flutter shut, and boy does it feel great to rest your blackened eyelid.

The past few days have been rather eventful, to both your amusement and dismay. You met the bearded tea man (your new favourite person; what a sweetheart). Next, you met Lee (some jerk whose coin bag you just stole. Ha ha ha). Then there was— how could you forget… the apple incident.

Some stranger just appears and impresses you with their unexpected physical abilities. The stranger. Not Lee.

Stupid Lee. You handled yourself perfectly fine back there! After all, you've taken care of yourself for the past 16 years! You, of all people, don't need any rescuing whatsoever from some... egotistical hotshot. Where was help when you actually needed it. Life wasn't always this good for you. A mere three years ago, you were homeless and had to beg for food. Only recently has life turned around for you. You made use of your talents, and stole from the rich, then sold to the… less rich. All profits went to support yours truly. You'll never forget your first hot bath. You'd made enough money from 'imports' to cover the necessities. Finally with coin to spare, you spent it at a bathhouse. That day, you promised yourself that you'd never live in poverty again. You'd go out into the world and get the things you desired! Push aside anyone who gets in your way! Reach your goals! And you'll do it all without an ounce of help from some chump named Lee.

You try to nap, but your ruthless mind never ceases to stop creating theories about the emo-haired teen. Some guy who shares your eye colour but also seems to have a severe temper issue. It's almost like you can hear his irritating voice— wait a tick. Still tangled in your sheets, you crawl over to your window/balcony, your futon sliding across the floorboards with each maneuver. You peek out and see Lee alongside his Uncle as they approach the tea shop. You reposition the futon and get comfy as you spy on their conversation.

"Zuko, the mightiest tiger-bear will roar to hold his ground, but remain silent when trapping his prey," the grey-bearded man explains wisely to his nephew.

"Yeah, that's great Uncle Iroh, but how does that help me get my coin bag back?" replies Lee while rolling his eyes aggressively. Hold on, how did the uncle refer to his nephew? Zuzu? Was this a nickname or—

"Tell me again, how you lost all of our money?" inquires uncle… Iroh was it? At this, you can't help but let out a small laugh, recalling how Lee lost the coin bag. You'll return the money in due time, but you want to teach Lee one of your own proverbs. 'Don't mess with me'.

"I uh— must've dropped it. While chasing that thief from earlier." Lee awkwardly lies to his uncle. Well, it might not entirely be a lie, it depends on which 'thief' he's referring to.

Just before they duck into the tea shop, it requires a fair amount of your willpower to restrain yourself from dropping the coin purse on his head as he passes under the ledge. They disappear, and you weigh the small cloth sack in your hand. It certainly doesn't weigh as much as a family fortune should. Though, you suppose, the economic state of lower ring Ba Sing Se has been on steady decline. You feel a brief pang of guilt in your chest. Not for Lee, of course, but for the kind, tea enthusiast, who you now know as Iroh.

With no more exciting eavesdropping opportunities, you allow your eyes rest once more. This time, you fall asleep fast, your thoughts at relative ease.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Dream

You open your eyes, and a vast expanse of sky-blue fills you vision. Cotton ball clouds drift by overhead. The ground is soft beneath you, the grass of the meadow acting as nature's own cushion. You breathe in crisp, clean air and shut your eyes again, soaking in the warm embrace of sunlight as it kisses your skin. The air is fragrant, like the world around you had bloomed for the very first time. Or like tea leaves. Mmmmmm.

Opening your eyes, you begin to notice the spots of red dotting the distant landscape. You rise and make your way to the nearest flower. It was the most beautiful shade of red you've ever seen. Twisting the stem around your fingers, you snap the thin tether. Before you're able to inhale its sweet aroma, you hear a voice whisper your name. You quickly spin around to see a woman, kneeling on the ground.

"Hello?" you say gingerly to the mysterious lady. Her back is turned to you. She has long, dark hair that hangs low on her back, like a waterfall of ink cascading down her figure. Woven through various black strands are the red-petaled flowers of the field; their colour matches her red robe. She wears it effortlessly, the neckline slipping off to the side, exposing a shoulder.

Though you call to her, she says nothing in return. You start towards her, careful not to tread on any of the wild flowers. You find yourself picking up the pace, some instinct within is desperate to know the beautiful woman's identity. Only a few feet between the two of you, you pause. Upon closer inspection, you notice the tired slump in her shoulders. Hesitantly, you inch closer, looping around her right.

That's when you notice her face. It's obstructed by a mask, and a very familiar mask at that. The sunlight shimmers off of the golden trim, the ethereal aura sending chills down your spine. It's none other than your own mask. The Red Spirit.

"Hello? Miss?" you say, louder than last time, but she ignores you again. She stays still, only her hair moving in the gentle breeze of the afternoon. It's stark black color contrasts with the colorful scenery.

Before you fully realize your actions, your hand is already reaching out. You brush a strand of silky hair away from the mask, admiring the way the sunlight glints off of the long tress. You slowly snake your hands behind the lady's head, finding the ties that secure the disguise. Holding your breath, you untie the knot, letting the mask slip loose… and...

You wake up.


	6. Chapter 6 - Alley Cat

You're no longer dreaming. Your eyes open, and your gaze meets with a pair of golden eyes. Your black eye feels a bit better after your rest. You're no longer in the meadow, but laying by the ledge of your open window. The eyes blink curiously, but hold your gaze as you slowly sit up.

The eyes belong to a black cat. Probably one of the many strays that roam the back alleys of the lower ring, it appears to have entered your attic through the window you carelessly left open. You reach out your hand, palm facing the ceiling, and the creature sniffs it cautiously. Content, it rubs its cheek against you fingers. The ebony fur feels soft and sleek as it brushes your fingertips, and you feel a ghost of a grin forming on your lips. The round, saffron eyes greatly contrast the dark coat of the feline. So mysterious, yet somehow familiar?

The cat roams around your apartment as you get ready to face the day. You slip on a change of clothes: a mock-neck top made of forest green fabric, a pair of dark, fitted pants, and your favourite pair of soft and stealthy leather boots. You grab your secret dagger duo, which you always carry with you for safety reasons, as your thoughts drift back to your interrupted dream. You've had similar dreams before, and they all end the same way that one did. That woman...who was she? Long black hair and red clothing is symbolic of the fire nation. You lived your whole life behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. You're grounded in the Earth Kingdom lifestyle. Why are you dreaming about the Fire Nation? The missing piece of the puzzle had to be the lady's face. Why else would it have been concealed behind your mask?

You snap back to reality when you hear your sneaky house guest pawing at something near your window. Walking over to investigate, the cat leaps out of your way, revealing a certain coin purse you acquired the previous day. Right, you need to return this. You scoop the object from the ground and stash it in your pocket.

You entice the cat out of your attic room, lock the door behind you, then descend the stone stairs. As you pass a nearby window, you examine your face in the reflection. The bruising from the apple incident isn't as bad as you thought. You continue towards the shop.

You were looking forward to trying a cup of properly prepared white jade tea, sure that your favourite tea making old man would brew it to perfection. Not that you were going for the tea anyways. You couldn't wait to see the look on Lee's face when you strolled in with his money. Dinner and a show. You follow the side of the building and reach the front of Pao's Family Tea House.

The shop is filled with a mild bustle as you push your way through to get a seat near the kitchen. You see Lee pouring tea at another table, and the bearded man must be in the kitchen. Remembering what you overheard earlier while eavesdropping, you recall that Lee referred to his uncle as 'Uncle Iroh'. A name that sounds familiar but you can't put your finger on it. Done attending to the other customers, Lee turns to your table, ready to serve. As you make eye contact, he recognizes your face and grimaces at you. You feel the corners of your mouth twitch into a sly smile. Perfect.

"How's your day been, tea boy?" you greet deviously, emphasizing his chosen nickname.

"What do you want?" he snarls.

"What do you think?" you reply matter-of-factly, "This is a tea shop. I came for a nice, relaxing drink."

He leans over the table and narrows his gaze at you. His face is very close to yours as he whispers, "Do you think you're welcome here after what you pulled yesterday?"

"Nuh uh, tea boy, play nice now, and I'll throw in a hefty tip for your service." You flash him the coin bag from your pocket, but quickly stuff it back in before he tries anything. If it was even possible, his mean look transformed into one of pure hatred. He looks like he's about to say something when his uncle starts coming towards the table, carrying two cups of tea.

"Ah, hello there friend!" he smiles warmly at you. You wave back jovially, and tea boy lets out a long sigh. The man continues, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I thought I'd bring you a cup of that exquisite tea that you sold me yesterday."

You can't help but grin; this old man really is the sweetest! It makes you wish that there were more people like him out in the world, instead of a bunch of jerks. For example: Lee.

"I'd love to try some," you respond and motion for the greyed man to take the seat across from you. At this point, tea boy practically stalks off, but you don't mind. You had gotten the rise out of him that you had intended to, so now it's tea time.

Who would have thought the street vendor/thief and the master of tea would get along so well. The two of you chatted for quite some time; him telling old war stories, while you let him in on some secrets from the streets. The tea shop got quieter as time went on, and soon the only customers left were you and an elderly couple. You hadn't seen Lee since your earlier encounter. You assume he was staying in the kitchen to avoid you, making your victory taste even sweeter.

You offer to help close up shop as thanks for the lovely conversation. Iroh insists, but you insist even more-so. With a wet cloth in hand, you wipe down a few tables with Lee. He sticks to the right side of the store, leaving you to wipe the left-most tables.

"Thank you for helping. You did a great job!" the old man remarks.

"Thank you, uh, sir," you reply with a slow nod, unsure if you should use the name 'Iroh'. As you begin to turn away, he pats his hand on your shoulder. You peer back at him in confusion.

"Feel free to call me Uncle Ir… Mushi. Uncle Mushi." You beam back at him. Lee gags a little bit. After bidding farewell to Iroh, no, Mushi? You head for the door, shooting Lee a wink as you pass him, then motion for him to follow you. At first, he doesn't seem interested in the slightest, but you carefully reveal the coin purse in your pocket. He turns to his Uncle once, and sees him preoccupied with something else. Lee decides to follow you out of the shop and into the night.

You lead him around the left side of the teashop, and you both walk down the darkened alley. This is the same narrow street that you pass through everyday when you leave or enter your home. Halfway down the alley, you turn to face the teen.

"Here," you say, as you toss the coin purse at Lee. He catches it easily with one hand. Wordless, he looks down at the coin purse with a slight confusion. You break the silence.

"What… you didn't think you'd get it back? Do I look like a thief to you?" He shoots you a glare.

"Hey come on, I was just teasin—"

The coin purse comes flying back into your hands.

"I don't need it. Leave me alone from now on." Lee doesn't want his money back? Now you're the confused one. You peek into the small sack, and see a few silvers and a handful of coppers. Considering the pitiable amount, if this is every coin they had (as you overheard Uncle Mushi say), why doesn't Lee want the money back? You look up to see him already exiting the alley, and you run after him.

"Are you serious right now? What are you gonna tell your Uncle? Just take the coins," you prompt as you approach Lee from behind. He pauses. With one swift movement, he turns on you and pins you to the wall at the edge of the alley.

"Listen here. I don't know who you are or why you keep bothering me." Lee's face is very close to your own, and he is speaking through his teeth in a low voice, "It'd be in your best interest to leave me, and my uncle, alone."

You push against him, but he doesn't loosen his grip. You dare to say something.

"But what will you tell your Uncle about the money?"

"That's none of your damn business. Don't talk to me ever again, and I don't want to see you anywhere near the tea shop from now on. Got it?"

"Hmm." you feign a deep thought process. "That's not gonna be easy…"

"I'm serious. Go annoy someone else. I'm tired of girls bothering me when I'm working, but you've gone too far. You're crazy."

Crazy huh? You're about to show him crazy. With a grunt, you push your wrist down and turn your arms at the same time, using enough force to knock his limbs to the side. After freeing yourself from his grip, you use your left arm to block. With your right, you grasp his wrist and start twisting. Hooking your ankle around his, you push him down forcefully, sending him into the ground. He attempts to wriggle free, but you press your knee into his back. You release one of your arms and nimbly draw a dagger from your boot. Just as Lee manages to roll over, his back to the ground, your hands push down on his shoulders, pinning him with with all your weight. With one of your hands, you carefully point a single dagger to his neck. He immediately freezes.

Straddling him, you lean into his ear, still ready for him to struggle against you.

You whisper slowly, enunciating each syllable carefully. "Who do you think you are, bossing around a lady? Some kind of royalty?"

Lee lets out a hot breath.

"I won't bother you anymore," you state, before continuing on. "To be incredibly honest, you're not even my type. But… there's no way in hell you can stop me from befriending dear old Uncle Mushi."

His face is unreadable. You take that as a good sign. Pivoting off of him, he's up in a flash. You make sure to twirl your knife in plain sight, a subtle reminder of how armed and dangerous you are. It glints in the moonlight as you expertly control its motion. Leaning against a wall, you tuck a stray strand of your hair behind your ear.

"Besides, it won't be easy staying away from the tea shop, since I live right above it." You say as toss him his coin purse one last time.

His face contorts, but you don't care anymore. You spin on your heels and stride out of the alley, only pausing at the very end. You glance over your shoulder, "Smell ya later, tea boy," you say before disappearing into the shadowy streets of your neighborhood.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Blue Spirit

Bothering Lee had been your best entertainment these past few days, but after his hissy fit, it's best to let tea boy simmer down. Since that night, you've been back to your regular routine. Also, your eye had been healing surprisingly fast. It no longer stung when you touched it, and there was only a slight discolouration left over.

Today's events were nothing special. You had sold the last of your goods at the market, meaning you needed to replenish your stocks at some point. Though you hadn't prepared a route ahead of time, you had a vague idea of places you wanted to visit. You spent the rest of your day running boring errands, such as shopping for food, tidying your home, getting your daggers sharpened, or picking up your laundry from Mrs. Hung's.

You find yourself missing your visits to the tea shop, but know not to press your luck. The last thing you want is to cause another scene. You remember the commotion when you first saw Lee, followed by the events of last night. It would best to avoid your new 'friend' for now.

As one of Ba Sing Se's famous sunsets spreads through the atmosphere, you gather your thieving supplies. Since you don't have the time for a lengthy commute to the middle ring, tonight is going to be a local job. It might also keep the authorities off of your back.

You set off once you see the stars twinkling in the night sky. The rooftops in this district weren't nearly as well-maintained as those in the middle ring, so you find yourself on the ground more often. (You've slipped on a loose roof tile before, let's just say that's the first and last time you've fallen off of a building). You avoid any people you see, though not that many in this particular area would question a shady character running around late into the night. You're glad you sharpened your daggers today.

It's been a few hours, and you're about halfway done. You're just down the street from your next target: a clothing shop. Checking that your mask is secure, you steadily grow closer to the building. That's when you see something move.

You dart into the shadows, pressing your body flat against a wall. Waiting a few moments, you listen for the sound of footsteps. After a period of silence, you inhale deeply through your nose before tip-toeing along the wall. When you get to the edge, you crouch low to the ground before peeking around the corner.

Up ahead, a silhouette of a person is barely visible. It moves slowly, but with purpose, as it circles around the building side. The shadow doesn't seem to be too large, and the footsteps are barely audible, hinting that you stood a decent chance against this stranger, should a fight occur. You weigh your options. Either you wait in silence, hoping the mystery person continues on their merry way soon, or you confront. The first, and obviously smarter route, seems to be the way to go. Yet something within you is leaning towards the latter. Probably your boredom.

As if fate was listening in on your internal monologue, you notice the figure advancing towards one of the taller buildings in the area. Your thief-senses are telling you that they intend to scale the structure, either for stealth purposes, or just for the useful vantage point. All of your experience with the fragile-topped houses in the lower ring have taught the dangers of traversing them. One misstep could send you leg deep in someone's home, or sliding to the ground in an instant.

You're at the base of the building in seconds, and the dark figure is approaching the top.

You quickly scale the building next door; you have more faith in its roof tile integrity, since it's a newer structure. The person stops to rest on the highest balcony. Just as they are about to hoist themselves onto the rooftop, you shout a word of advice into the night.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Your words take the dark figure by surprise. They turn suddenly, and you find yourself face to face with a fellow masked hoodlum.

He lifts his arm. You barely have enough time to duck before you hear something fly past your head. A throwing weapon sticks somewhere behind you with a satisfying thud, and you're glad it wasn't buried in your head. You yank the item from the building wall behind you, and examine it closely. It's not a throwing star, but rather a small knife shaped object; a kunai.

"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" you shout as you pocket the petite knife. Jeez, you try to help a brother out and he tries to kill you as thanks. You see the ungrateful man visibly shrug before reaching for another kunai and launching it in your direction. Prepared this time, it misses you by a few feet.

"Now that's just downright ungrateful," you complain. The sound of a low chuckle floats through the night as your assailant turns his back to you, and mounts the unsafe roof. Despite your warning, the fool seems to insistent upon breaking a bone or something. You cautiously switch from your lower rooftop, to the higher, less stable one, and watch him carefully step across the roof. He starts slow, shifting his weight from one foot to another. When nothing happens, he picks up the pace.

The stranger lets out a snort of victory, and you roll your eyes. He looked really stupid just now, but you decide to keep that to yourself. Then, it finally happens.

Without warning, his foot falls straight through the roof tiles with a splintering crack, tripping him. He falls mask first into the rooftop. You laugh hysterically as you approach. Can't say you didn't warn him. He scrambles back to his feet, but his foot is still caught in the new crater. He tries to tug it out, and his failure only further fuels your amusement. You approach cautiously, and offer a hand to help him escape the grip of the roof's snare.

The moment is interrupted by the sound of voices.

"Geun-Lee! I think there's somebody on our roof!" comes the shrill cry of a woman's voice. "Don't worry, sweetie," rasps another, "Go back to bed. I'll take care of this."

The masked man doesn't have time to reject your offer. You tear away at the tiles and a chunk of wood as quietly as possible, and he finally manages to slip his foot free. You're both frozen, not daring to make another sound, in hopes that the silence would ward off the civillian's attention. The idea proves to be futile as the angry man is now on the balcony, squinting directly at you.

"What are you doing on my roof!?" he shouts. Without giving it a second thought, you turn to your accomplice and grab him by the arm, dashing away from the furious citizen. Reaching the edge of the building, you quickly examine your getaway options. The closest jumpable rooftops are accessible on the other edge of this building. From where you are, you could only make the jump to the building over with a perfect running start and a little bit a luck. You could either run past the screaming man and escape from the other side, or jump straight down and land on a cart full of… was that lettuce? You make the split second decision and leap into the alley below, dragging your associate down with you.

SMASH

Leafy chunks go flying, and it suddenly smells strongly of...cabbages? At least the vegetables broke your fall. The two of you climb out of the cabbage cart, as you hear shouts from above. So much for laying low.

You bolt together through the backstreets. Eventually, you spy a narrow alleyway. If you could even call it an alley. It was more of a tight crevice between two buildings, as it was extremely narrow. It was the perfect spot to tuck yourself away until the commotion died down.

That was too close for comfort, and you're starting to regret your decision to confront the mysterious criminal. On top of that, you didn't collect nearly as much bounty as you should have. Here you are, in the dead of the night, stowing away in a cramped alley with a complete stranger.

Speaking of complete strangers, you study the unfamiliar person sitting beside you. You have no doubt that he is indeed a male. Taller than you, but not too big, he looks like the athletic type. Dressed in black from the neck down, one would assume he's a common thief. What really stands out, though, is the blue mask that shrouds his face. Unlike your own disguise, which only exposes your mouth and chin, this one conceals his face completely. It's a very angry looking mask, painted a rich blue. It has striking white and silver details to form the facial features. It's similar to your own mask, stylistically. However, yours is scarlet with black and gold accents. You wonder who's beneath the disguise.

You suddenly realize how close the two of you are, and that you've been staring at him for the past few minutes in awkward silence. The distant yelling eventually stops, giving you two the all-clear. The blue mask stares at you, and it takes you a second to realize you're blocking the exit.

"Oh, s-sorry," you mumble, shimmying out as he follows suite.

"Thanks for the help back there," he states honorably. He's been practically silent throughout the duration of your busy situation, so his voice catches you by surprise.

"Oh, uh- yeah! No problem," you reply, trying to play it cool. He nods, and turns to leave.

"Wait!" You call out. He pauses, lending you his ear.

"Nice mask."

"You as well, Red Spirit." And with that, he jumps off into the night, and you're left alone. You look to the night sky, realizing there's only a few hours left in the night. It's time to make your way home and get some rest. You'll need to have some energy for what you've got planned tomorrow. As you walk home, you fiddle with the kunai in your pocket.


	8. Chapter 8 - Thursday Market

It's Thursday morning, you realize as you rub your eyes, grateful of the few hours of sleep you got. Your eye pains from the apple incident are practically gone now. Thank the spirits you didn't contract pink eye after all.

You get dressed fast, slipping on your light jacket since these mornings tend to be on the cooler side. Lastly, you grab a smaller bag you own instead of your trusty large shoulder bag, that one being much too bulky for your planned adventure. The inside of your bag holds your coin purse, and the single kunai you acquired from last night's fight with the Blue Mask. In the daylight, you get a better look at it. It's quite small, and made of a dark and heavy metal. It's not terribly sharp, likely dulled from use. The handle is wrapped in a blue material. Finally ready, you make your way into the streets.

Thursday means early morning market! You're not a big fan of shopping, but you just can't help yourself on Thursdays. It's not unusual to find some really good deals, and you love making chit-chat with all the polite vendors. Even on days when you don't make a purchase, you thoroughly enjoy a walk through the stalls, seeing what everyone has for sale that day.

This market is a ways away from your usual area. As you stroll merrily, you can feel the weight of the coins in your pocket. You ponder the kinds of objects that will be available today.

"My CABBAGES!" A man yells from down the street. You watch him as you wander by, the area looking more and more familiar as you take it in. You pass the man, who is looking very distressed over his smashed cabbage cart. Ah, now you remember. This is where you and the blue mask jumped off a roof together.

You continue your walk, and listen to the sparse chatter of the few citizens who are up and about this morning.

"—he says it was the Blue Spirit!"

"Don't'cha you mean Red Spirit?"

"No no, Geun-Lee specifically told me he saw a blue mask, not red.

"Great, now there's two of 'em?"

"Anyways, I'm helping fix his roof later today—"

You walk out of range of the conversation, having heard enough. Blue Spirit?

"How original," you mock in your mind. You shake away your thoughts with a laugh, and continue to the market.

This particular market is tricky to get to; its existence is hidden from the average person. As you walk, the residential/market district around you slowly becomes an industrial area. You pass warehouses, workshops, and small factories. You head toward the farthest warehouse. From all angles, this crumbling building appears abandoned. You enter. The inside is dead and empty, save for a few rotting crates. You make your way toward some of the crates and search for a specific one. You find the box with a faded black emblem and give it a push. Underneath it is a deep hole, with a ladder going down.

You enter unafraid and reseal the hole once inside. Now, you climb down and down into the darkness. Within a minute or so, you reach the light at the bottom. You dangle off the very last rung, and drop softly into a lit area. Welcome to the Thursday Market.

This (literally) underground market sells wares you can't get anywhere else. Weapons, explosives, illegal fireworks, drugs, certain booze, etc. Anything that's hard to sell with authorities around.

This black market is filled with dangerous goods and dangerous people; any regular person would fear for their life in a place like this. Not you, however. Growing up on the streets, you stumbled upon this market at a young age when looking for a dry place to sleep. Now, you've come to feel quite at home here. You know many of the vendors personally, such as Gopan, Scar-Nose, and The Knife Lady, to name a few.

They say this place was made by earth benders as a place to hide undocumented war refugees. As one crime invites more, this place eventually became a hub for illegal activity. The Thursday Market is your favourite community in the entire city.

You make your way over to a familiar stall. Metallic weapons catch the light of the flickering torches. A strangely beautiful sight, in a lethal, hoplophile kind of way. Not that you're attracted to weapons, but damn did these particular ones look enticing. They were good quality, probably the best in all of Ba Sing Se, and they were sold by none other than Hula, better known as The Knife Lady. (She'd kill you if you told anyone her real name)

She seems to be talking to another customer as you approach. You don't recognize him as one of the regulars. He was leaning coolly against the counter, but you could tell he was pretty tall, and probably around your age. His shaggy brown hair reminded you of a lions mane and his skin was tanned. You noticed an empty dual sheath on his back; the blades that were once there are likely to be currently in the care of Hula. The last thing you notice about him is a sliver of wheat that he holds in his mouth. Does this goof think he's a farmer or something?

Hula glances at you, and her usual resting glare turns into a slight smirk. "Hey there, Bandit," she says, referring to you with the street-given nickname from your childhood.

"Did you come to visit little ol' me? Need another pair of knives?" she teases. You snicker and hit her in the shoulder. "Nah, I came to see Scar-Nose. We're planning another big prank on Gopan." At 'prank', she gives you a withering 'not on my watch' stare.

"Hey, only joking!" By now you've noticed the guy at the stand is staring at you, his head tilted in an expression of interest.

"Jokes aside, I was wondering if you have any knives like this?" you hold out the 'Blue Spirit's kunai for her to see. The Knife Lady examines the kunai. "Ranged weapons, huh? I have a few things that you might like," she says as she begins to gather a handful of weapons. Beside you, the guy is still staring. You start to get uncomfortable. What's his deal?

"What are you looking at?" you demand. He snaps out of his trance.

"I was just surprised that such a pretty girl like yourself is interested in buying weapons," he says with a sly smirk. You scoff at his remark.

"Yeah, well this pretty girl is pretty dangerous," you retort, smoothly flipping the blue kunai in the air in front of him. You catch it with ease and then stow it back in your bag. He claps at your display.

"Nice party trick," he comments, standing up straight. Wow, he's taller than you thought. "You know, we could really use someone like you."

You're taken aback at this. "We?"

"I'm the leader of a… group of people. A group of young people who fight for what they believe," he states proudly.

"Sounds cheesy," you plainly state. "So what are you, some sort of recruiter for your little organization?"

He chuckles, "I can be anything you want me to be." And… did he just wink at you?

You feel yourself flush, but refuse to give in so easily. "Well, as it turns out, I'm quite the busy person, so I'll have to decline your offer, sir.

He frowns slightly. "Oh come on, what could you be doing that's more important than our cause?"

"Oh, I don't know, living my own life?" you snap back.

"Which can't be all that interesting, right?"

You are about to throw hands at this fool, when Hula returns with a case of throwing weapons, dropping it on the counter with an attention-grabbing thud. Having overheard the conversation, she interjects, "This punk bothering you?" while pointing to teen.

"Yes," you respond, just as he says, "No." Hula glares at him, grabbing a pair of hook swords from behind the counter. She hovers one right below the teen's throat, "How about you just pay me and scram before things get ugly."

The boy scrambles for his coins and slides them onto the counter. Looking pleased, Hula lowers the weapons and hands them over.

"Thanks for sharpening these for me, Miss.. uh-"

"Miss is fine. Now get outta my sight," Hula hisses at the boy. He sheaths his blades, winks at you again, and is on his way.

"Now, where were we? Ah yes." Hula waved one hand over the case of weapons. "Anything you like?"

You inspect your options, taking in the crazy variety of sharp objects, such as throwing stars, throwing knives, and just what you were looking for, traditional kunai. Disregarding the rest of the weapons, you peer closer at the selection of kunai. One particular variety speak to you: they are smaller than most, but retain their lethal appearance nonetheless. The are formed from a dark metal, and have a ring at the ends. The handles are wrapped in a deep red colored material, which is what entices you the most. You've made your decision.

"I really like these red ones here," you inform, pointing to the weapons in question.

"Fire Nation kuani? Interesting choice my dear. I have a few more in the back, they make a complete set of one dozen."

"I'll take them! How much?" you ask, readying your coin purse. Hula collected all twelve of the little throwing knives and boxed them in a thin wooden container.

"For you? Hmmm…" Hula brings a finger to her chin, pretending to think hard. Then, with a whisper in your ear, she says: "Free."

"Are you serious?" You look at her wide eyed. The Knife Lady has given you crazy discounts before, but this was something new. "What's the occasion? Are you just in a good mood?"

"Ha ha. I've had them for ages, and they won't sell anytime soon. Most people don't want to carry a symbol of the Fire Nation."

"Thank you so much… Hula." You whisper her real name ever-so quietly, respecting that she doesn't want it known, but not respecting it enough to stop you from teasing her. Before she can punch you, you spin on your heels and make off with the box.

"HEY!" She snaps. "I have the title "The Knife Lady" for a reason. Don't make me show you!" You wave her off and head home, eager to try out the newest additions to your collection.


	9. Chapter 9 - Jet

You are chilling in your attic apartment, casually hurling your new kunai across the room and sticking them into the opposing wall. Practicing your aim, you try to get all twelve to form a circle. After twelve are thrown in a mediocre circle, you try they the odd 13th kunai dead in the center, generally succeeding. Once you deplete your kunai stash, you make your way across the room and rip them out of the wood. After a few cycles of this, you get bored.

Time to hit something else. You lean out your window, but after a few seconds of looking around, you come back inside, realizing that it's probably a bad idea to aim knives out your window in broad daylight. Instead, you twist around your current spot, your focus landing on the front door. It's positioned directly across from you. You weigh three kunai in your hand, before flicking your wrist and sending all three towards the door. They stick in a vertical line, one above the other, and you feel pretty proud of your new skill.

"I hope you're not expecting any visitors?" comes a voice from behind you. Very startled, you start turning to face the voice, but are interrupted as a pair of hands come up to your face to cover your mouth.

"Shhhhh," the voice says. Hmmph. Not like you'd be the one screaming anyways.

"I didn't mean to scare you." says the trespasser. Who in the world has the audacity to climb into your window and cover your mouth? You had dropped your handful of kunai in surprise. A single kunai, however, was still in your grip, and you planned to use it.

You relax in your attackers grip. You feel him also loosen his, and you know your plan has worked. With his false sense of security, you're able to catch him off-guard as you wrap your arms around his waist, hook your leg around the outside of his, and put all of your might into a spin. You're both sent tumbling to the ground. Using the element of surprise to your advantage, you push his face into the ground and sit on his back, knife held to the throat. Hey, you're getting pretty good at thi-

You got too cocky too fast. The intruder hooks something around the back of your shirt, pulling you off to the side. Before you can react, the aggressor slams his hook swords into the ground on either side of you; now you're the one pinned to the ground. You gape up in surprise, locking your gaze onto the face of your opponent. You recognize his face immediately as guy from the market.

"Hey," he says.

Hey? Market boy breaks into your house, attacks you, and all he has to say is hey?

"The name's Jet. I don't think we've been properly introduced." Sensing the casual, significantly less hostile nature of the situation, you relax with a sigh.

"Exactly what part of this," you gesture to the two of you with your pinned hands, "is a proper introduction?" Jet shrugs.

"I mean, at least it's a memorable one?" he points out.

"Yeah, I tend to remember when people attack me!"

"Hey, you're the one who started the fight," he accuses.

"Excuse me?! Says the guy who obviously tailed me home, broke into my house and covered my mouth from behind!"

"Wait, this is your house? It's kinda… "

"Watch it buddy," you warn.

"...humble?" he finishes unsurely.

You roll your eyes at him. Jet gets off of you as he stands up, then lends you a hand.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he says sincerely, "And for just now. Bad introduction, you're right." You stare at his hand for a moment before taking it, allowing him to pull you up.

"Apology…" You yank on his arm and pull him to the ground.

"Accepted." You finish with a sweet, innocent smile.

"OW!" He complains. "That was so uncalled for! I thought we were having a moment!"

"Nope. And now we're even." You confidently tower over him, until he kicks your legs out, and you crash clumsily to the ground too.

You have a new perspective of your room from down here, and you spot your secret red mask falling out of your large thieving bag. Crap! You quicky maneuver over Jet, pretending to pin him this time, but with a leg you skillfully kick the mask deep into the bag.

Jet doesn't notice the mask, he's more focused on the fact that you have him pinned again.

"Woah, excited are we?" Embarrassed and angry, you feel your face flush as red as your iconic, now hidden mask.

"I'm going to KICK YOUR ASS, JET!" You scream, and the wrestling ensues. You toss your single kunai safely to the side, as you won't be needing it. This is by no means a lethal fight, rather a spar, so you can teach this 'Jet' kid why it's a bad idea to mess with you.

You wrestle, and he impressively manages to get you into a headlock. He gains some respect for that.

"So, what was your name again?" he asks innocently, spoiling the moment.

"Do you even know what the word 'introduction' means?" You belittle, but tell him your real name anyways.

"...That's such a pretty name," He says, and you break free from his grip. His charms no longer work on you, and now it's his turn to get trapped in a grab. You slip out of the headlock and side step to hook your arm around his neck. You push his head into your arm, starting the chokehold. He gasps for air trying to say something, so you loosen up a bit.

He manages to get the words out this time. "You wanna get some tea later?"

"Tea?" You release him and the two of you are now sitting casually on your floor. "Sounds fun, and I know just the place."

You tell Jet that he coincidentally just broke into the attic above a tea shop, and you highly recommend their tea.

"What an interesting coincidence, then you must know the people working there, right?" Jet asks. You gush about how amazing the tea brewer is, much to Jet's dismay. He's frowning as you praise the talents of Mushi, the sweet tea brewer, purposely not mentioning that he's an elderly man.

"I'll just have to see how I match up to this Mushi guy," Jet states. The both start to stand up. "Is he an earth bender?"

You imagine dear old Mushi hurling rocks around, then laugh as you dismiss the thought. You shake your head.

"I doubt he is. Oh, but we can't go in today. I don't think I could walk in there after the ruckus we just caused upstairs." He nods in agreement, and you both laugh at how incredibly odd of an encounter the two of you had just shared. You put your hands on his back and slowly push him towards your door. "It was nice meeting you, Jet."

"You too, [Y/N]."

He carefully opens the door, which still has the three throwing knives stuck in it. You watch him descend your steps. Just as he leaves the bottom landing and enters the streets, someone exits the backdoor of the tea shop.

Jet is gone, and someone else starts up the stairs; your first instinct is telling you that it's probably Pao coming up to complain about the noise. But your eyes see someone else.

It's Lee.

He's shooting daggers in the back of Jet's head. Eventually, he turns to face you, but awkwardly averts eye contact. He takes one more look in the direction that Jet went, before finally meeting your gaze.

"Pao sent me to- You're making too loud- The tea shop- uh-" His face is slowly flushing red as he rambles. You look him dead in his- golden eyes, and wait for him to gather his thoughts.

"Pao sent me. Stop being so loud with your boyfriend, it's disturbing business downstairs." He finally says matter-of-factly.

You let out a very loud laugh.

"Boyfriend?! That's hilarious. Don't worry, he's not my type either." Lee is quiet. He seems to be thinking carefully before he speaks.

"I don't care who your 'type' is, but trust me, you're better off without that guy."

Excuse me?" you say incredulously. Did Lee just tell you not to hang out with Jet? "Who do you think you are? I can do what I please, thanks."

"How well do you even know him?" He shouts.

He has a point. You really don't know anything about Jet, other than his fighting skills. But Lee's one to talk. Why would you trust his word over your own? Hell, Lee doesn't even know you that well.

"I know him better than I know you, and that's good enough for me," you deadpan. Lee stares into your eyes, looking like he has something more to say, but he just turns around and stomps down the stairs.

Days without a Lee incident: zero.


	10. Ch10 - Warehouse Wrestle Earthbending

That Lee kid has some nerve telling you what to do. First, he practically assaults you and tells you to never come to the tea shop again. Now, he wants you to stay away from Jet? Maybe he's jealous of your new friend.

You know just the thing to irk him off. You'll disobey both of his requests at once. Go on a date with Jet… AT the Pao Family Tea Shop. Well not a DATE date, because you and Jet are just pals, even if he is a bit presumptuous and flirty at times. For all you care, let Lee think that you're 'dating' this new guy. Let's see how he reacts.

The plan for today is to meet Jet at the Warehouse Wrestle Earthbending' arena to watch the tonight's earthbending fight. After that, you intend to head over to the Tea Shop.

You're already at the arena entrance, a large stairway that leads under an old soap factory, despite the name "Warehouse Wrestle Earthbending". (The name still reflects the location of the old arena, before it got found out by the enforcement.)

You're waiting for Jet at the agreed meeting spot, looking around. The battle arena is not nearly as 'underground' as the Thursday market (figurative and literally), it's still one of more known street secrets of the lower ring. From all around the lower ring, all kinds of people gather to watch earth benders bodyslam each other and hurl rocks in an impressive fight. Tonight's matchup is the 'Do-Ein The Rock' v.s. 'Jun Shina'; a matchup you've been dying to see, since you're a big fan of The Rock.

At the moment, you're leaning casually against a stone pillar near the main entrance, waiting for Jet. Alone with your thoughts, your mind wanders. You begin to realize that Jet is the first friend you've made that's about your age. All of your acquaintances, many being frequenters of the Thursday Market, are either much older, or much younger. Gopan has always been a father figure, and Hula, the odd time she's in a good mood, can act kinda motherly, becoming the second half to their parental dynamic. Then there are the street kids; almost like your younger cousins in a way. They look like a cute little 'gang' of hoodlums, and you keep them out of trouble when you can. They're kids from the roughest parts of town, and you often see them playing in the streets. They remind you of your own childhood.

None of the aforementioned are your age group. Until Jet came around. Speaking of Jet, where is he?

"Oi, hello there lil' lady, what's a pretty flower like you doin' round these part?" came a voice from behind you. And it did NOT sound like Jet. Unamused, you don't even bother to fully face the stranger. You give him a glance over your shoulder.

"Not interested, buddy."

"Awwww, that's no fun. Why don't we go have some fun?" Ugh. You hate having to deal with creeps, but you do enjoy beating the shit out of people. You're about to kick this guy in the shins when an arm drapes gently around your shoulder.

"She said she's not interested," says Jet's confident voice. "Beat it."

Jet's presence, plus your stare of death, is enough to get this guy to lay off. Jet doesn't demand that you thank him. Although you're grateful for his help, he and you both know you technically didn't need it. The two of you make your way down the arena stairs.

Together you snag great seats and enjoy the show. You, obviously, are cheering for Do-Ein The Rock, but Jet seems to be rooting for, the clearly inferior, Jun Shina. The two of you get into a big bet while watching the match, agreeing that the loser pays for tea.

When you're not screaming at the match, or pushing Jet around in excitement, you're gaping wide-eyed at the competing earthbenders. Your whole life, you yearned for earthbending abilities or ANY kind of bending. It would've made your childhood a lot easier; alas, you were born a non-bender. You're impressed by the raw power displayed by the fighters, as they kick up massive dirt clouds, catapult hefty rocks, and raise their own earth podiums to gain the higher ground. These arena matches are by no means deadly. There's (usually) no serious injuries, and it's widely known that these matches are just for show; there's even acting bits that they throw in here and there. Even you love hearing the cheesy one-liners, especially Do-Ein The Rock's nonsensical catchphrase: "Can you smell- what Do-Ein The Rock- is bendin'?!"

Jet seems to prefer the line uttered by the other fighter, Jun Shina, "You can't see me!"

He yells this after kicking up a blinding cloud of sand, bending it into his opponent's eyes.

The match finally ends, and Jun Shina comes out victorious. You feel defeated as Jet teases you all the way back to the tea shop. It's dark out now, and you're surprised at how fast the time flew by. You can only hope the teashop is still open since you don't know their exact schedule.

You see the tea shop in the distance and sigh a breath of relief when you see the lights are still on. You reach the door, about to press inside, but Jet is no longer beside you? Looking back, you seem him a few feet behind.

"Uhh, you… okay?" you question. He's staring intensely at the tea shop.

"Yeah, yeah…. let's go in."

That was weird. Whatever, you're just excited for the chance to see Mushi again and try his tea. Together you open the doors to the tea shop and waltz inside. It's pretty late, the only people inside are an elderly couple and a younger looking girl. You recognize all three customers as locals from the area.

You lead Jet to a familiar table in the far right corner; the same table you've sat at on your previous visits. You slide into at chair and Jet takes a seat across from you.

Letting out a big sigh, glad to finally rest after today's excitement. Across the table, Jet is looking around restlessly, with shifting eyes... Impatient much? You also look around the tea shop for the two employees who you know. Uncle Mushi is nowhere to be seen, and you don't hear the sound of someone working in the kitchen.

Lee, however, is across the shop, busy speaking with that brown-haired girl. How long does it take someone's order? Now you too are becoming impatient. Turning back to Jet, you see him continue to watch Lee intensely.

"Ughh," You grumble. "That's just Lee. Probably the worst employee they have at this joint."

"Wait," Jet give you a tentative look. "You know that guy or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I know him, and his uncle too. They both—"

"Oh no, [Y/N], you need to stay away from them..."

Wait, what? Previously, LEE had told you to stay away from Jet. Now your pal Jet is telling you to avoid both Lee and Uncle Mushi?

"Jet, is there something you're not telling me?" How had you not noticed it before… something fishy is going on between Jet and this family who works at the tea shop.

He ignores the question, looking around the shop one more time before speaking.

"You know what? We should just get out of here." He stands up to leave, but you grab his hands and pull him right back down, looking him in his brown eyes.

"Ohhh no. Lee might be the most infuriating person I know, but that won't stop me from getting my delicious tea. Sit."

Before Jet can press this any further, Lee approaches your table. You look him up and down, and can't help but laugh to yourself, taking in his tea boy apron, goofy hair and- his mysterious scar... You're still curious to know how he got it.

Lee sighs, obviously not happy to see you. But when he looks over at Jet he stiffens up, eyes wide.

"You again?" Lee hisses at Jet. The two of them glare at each other, like two alley cats preparing to attack. Jet stands up aggressively; you don't try to stop him this time.

"Don't think I forgot about your little secret." He's out of his seat and making his way towards Lee, pointing a finger in his face. "I know what you are."

"Get out of here," Lee commands, crossing his arms. You're rather impressed that Lee has kept his cool so far. "I don't want to fight here."

Jet reaches for his hook swords, but you rush in between them. "Jet! What are you doing? Let's just go."

He scowls menacingly at Lee, but when he looks over at you, his expression softens. "You're... right. Ugh, come on." he resolves and makes his way for the front door.

You follow him, then something catches you by surprise. You're halfway out the teashop when Lee... shouts your name.

"[Y/N]! Don't go with him, he's dangerous!" You freeze at the sound of your name coming from Lee voice.

You've paused before the doorway.

"Don't listen to Lee." Jet tells you, then he yells into the shop, "If that's even your real name!" He leans toward your ear, grasping your hand as he whispers: "Let's get out of here."

No. It's ticking you off to hear commands barked at you from either side. You don't want to listen to either of these boys. Your whole life, you never let other people tell you what to do. Not at the wretched orphanage, not on the streets, not even in the market. Growing up alone with no parents, you've always played the role of your own guardian. And now, at the age of 16, you sure as hell don't need some guy telling you what to do. Follow orders isn't your style.

You pull your hand out of Jet's grasp. "Tell me what's going on."

"I will, I promise, but just come with me." You hate being told what to do, but the three of you have already caused a big enough scene. Unwillingly, you leave the tea shop with Jet. The two of you head for the stairs behind the building.

"All I wanted was some nice, hot, comforting, preferably White Jade tea. And then THAT happens. You better explain everything! How do you know Lee? What's this— secret, you know? Why are you- "

Jet gently presses a finger on your lips. "Shhh. There's something I haven't told you, and to be honest, it'll be hard to explain."

He pauses and thinks for a second.

"How about I show you instead? Meet here, late tomorrow night. I'll explain everything."

Before you can complain, he leans in to kiss you on the cheek and runs off into the night.

You're stunned, left in the darkness behind the tea shop, confused as hell.


	11. Chapter 11 - Chamomile

Today you're back in the role of 'street vendor'. Your 'imported product' hauls haven't been too plentiful these past few days, due to the recent distractions in your life.

The usually fast-paced business is dragging on and on for what feels like forever. The remaining goods at your table include: a smaller ornate jewelry box, a decorative fan, a jewel-encrusted ring looped through a thin, silver chain, and a couple of fancy porcelain tea cups (only one of the teacups shattered in your bag; that's something of a record for you).

Not only are you bored, but you're also really sleepy. You're used to poor a sleep schedule, but this is getting ridiculously out of hand. Last night was the worst sleep you've had all year. Sitting behind your stand, you let your face rest in your hand, trying to ward off the sleep. You stare aimlessly ahead of you, your gaze resting on a red-patterned rug another man has on display.

You zone out of reality as you peer at the tapestry. Maybe you should go home and nap before your meeting with Jet tonight? No, you need to sell these last few items. You're running dangerously low on coins and you still have to pay your rent soon. But sleep is tempting you, and your eyes start to flutter against your will. The market fades from your vision, thoughts of last night's events playing behind your heavy eyelids.

"Wake up, sleepy head." You hear as someone gently shakes you awake.

"AAH!" You jump straight up, eyes wide and alert. You fell asleep? How could you let your guard down?

You face you person in front of you: it's none other than your favourite Uncle Mushi. You instantly calm down, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Mushi! It's nice to see you!" You bow your head respectfully. "Sorry about... that."

"There's an old proverb that goes something like this: 'When sleeping women wake, mountains move.' Provided they sleep well, of course."

"I sleep… well. Well enough." You fib.

"A soothing cup of chamomile tea helps one relax before going to sleep," he advises, raising one of the teacups on your table.

"Ah, maybe I'll stop by the shop tonight for a cup," you say, stifling a yawn.

"Or… maybe you should go home and get some rest. Come on; I will help you carry your things." And with that, Mushi starts grabbing more items off of the table, before you even have the chance to protest. You're just too tired to disagree, or, more likely, maybe you've developed a soft spot for the old man.

You're too tired to realize you should probably tell Mushi where you live, however, as he heads towards the teashop, it seems he already knows. Together you follow the side of the building and stop at the landing at the bottom of your stairs.

"Rest up, and try not to stay up so late," Mushi says with a wink. After thanking him profusely, you start up the stairs with your giant bag of items. He enters the tea shop through the rear doorway.

As you reach for your door, Mushi peaks his head out of the back of the tea shop and calls to you.

"I'll make some chamomile tea! I hope you will like it. Zuko will bring it up in a few minutes!" He seems very excited, and without a second thought, he rushes back inside to start making your tea.

That sounds perfect. You can practically taste the sweet, hot tea as you unlock the door and push into your house. You toss everything to the side, not as gently as you probably should have, and flop down onto your unrolled futon.

Wait.

Who's _Zuko_? Another employee perhaps, and he's going to bring you your tea? The name seems oddly familiar. Before you can spare another thought, your eyes shut and sleep draws you in.

You get about five minutes of napping done when you hear three consecutive knocks at your door. You look at the closed door from across the room, feeling too exhausted to get it. Instead, you shout: "It's unlocked!", then resume your previous position of laying face first into your pillow.

The person at the door enters with hesitant footsteps, and you call out again, just barely lifting your face out of the cushion:

"Just leave the- the tea on the table, thank you… Mr. Zuko." You mumble with a grateful wave to gesture in the general direction of the table in your home. You're honestly too tired to even look up or give a proper thank you. At least you got the gentleman's name right. Right?

You hear a sudden crash as the tray drops onto your small side table; the teacup shattering with it. You're definitely awake now.

You snap your head in the direction of the loud noise, propping yourself up with your forearms. Eyes wide, you expected to see some random, clumsy tea shop employee. Instead, it's Lee. Figures.

He stands by the table, his hand still mid-air, remaining in the position with which they'd once held the tea tray. His eyes are wide open, at least the one is. The other can only open so far, since it seems the muscle around it has been permanently damaged. He is staring at you wide-eyed, as if you had transformed into a two-headed lion-gecko.

"Jeez, Lee, I was half-asleep! Thanks for the _tea_ , but you can leave n-" He snaps out of his daze and cuts you off.

" _WHAT did you just say?_ " He demands, narrowing his eyes menacingly at you. You notice that his scarred eye tends to close more than the other one.

"Thanks for the t—"

"No! Before that." He cuts you off again, a mean scowl plastered across his face.

"That I _WAS_ half-asleep!" Glaring back, you watch him approach your futon, then practically squat to lean into your ear. You wanna say something, do anything, but you're entranced by his golden irises (which are now mere inches from your own).

"'Zuko'. You said the name Zu... What did that street rat tell you?" He's somehow managing to maintain the volume of a whisper, but with all of the anger of shouting.

"Street rat?! You better not be talking about Jet. And calm down, Mushi said ' _Zuko_ ' would be bringing my tea. Instead, I get you." You give him scowl.

" _Uncle is being careless_!" He mumbles to himself, then lets out a big breath before turning to face you.

" _Never_ speak that name again, or I'll make you regret it." With that, Lee turns and leaves through the door.

Stunned, you don't even know how to reply. "What's wrong with y—"

Before you can finish your sentence, Lee is gone and your door is slammed shut. More than ever, you want answers. With a sigh, you glance over at the mess Lee left behind.

Pointed shards of tea cup are scattered in the zone of impact, wet with the warm, fragrant tea. You frown at the wasted beverage Uncle Mushi had prepared for you. Seriously, what was wrong with Lee? You crawl over to the debris and begin collecting the broken pieces, being careful not to cut yourself on the sharp edges.

Jet will be here in a few hours, and you're hoping he'll be able to finally explain what is going on with the tea employees downstairs. For now, you clean up the spilled chamomile then proceed to take a long-awaited nap until Jet shows up.


	12. Chapter 12 - Spark Rocks

You wake up to see the orange light of the setting sun spilling through your window, bathing the room in soft, warm tones; sunset, indicating that Jet will be here soon. You wonder what exactly he plans on showing you. He had better explain how he knows Lee, why they caused such a scene at the tea shop, and maybe you'll ask him about the name 'Zuko' later. After yesterday, your mind has been making up the craziest stories. What terrible secret could Jet possibly know about Lee? And Mushi too?

Unsure of what kind of adventure to expect tonight, you pull on a long-sleeved, black top, but wear your familiar dark pants and leather boots. You prepare for the very worst, knowing your luck, tucking your daggers snuggly into their usual spot. The wooden box holding your kunai catches your attention. Crossing over to it, you lift the lid, inspecting the crimson wrapped weapons. "Better safe than sorry," you mutter as you grab a few and store them in their own special pocket.

Feeling sufficiently armed and ready to take on… _whatever_ , all you have left to do is wait for Jet. Bored, you decide to tidy up your living quarters. Might as well be productive.

You find an old candle amongst your possessions. It's the colour of amber, adorned with a thin black ribbon tied into a bow. You forgot all about this! It was a present for your 16th birthday from Scar-Nose. He had jokingly called you smelly when he gave you the gift, and you fondly remember threatening to cut off the rest of his nose so he wouldn't have to smell you anymore. Ah, good times.

You fetch your spark rocks from the remaining mess in your room, and light the cinnamon infused candle, placing it by your window ledge. The smell of the burning candle reminds you of training with Gopan. He always had candles lit around the training area, softly illuminating the room with a warm glow as the two of you sparred. You felt nostalgic, lost in thought as you stared absent-mindedly at the flickering flame.

Without warning, something bursts through your slightly ajar window, knocking over the candle. You jolt back, your heart racing from the sudden surprise. Your dagger is already drawn, and you glimpse around the room, looking for the culprit. That's when you feel something rubs against your leg.

You peer down. At your feet is a black cat, purring as it demands your attention. It gazes up at you with its bright, feline eyes. The intense stare seems to reach into your soul, and it's hard to tear your eyes away. You snap out of it, and reach for the feebly smoking candle, which fortunately blew itself out as it came crashing down. You set the now unlit candle back on the ledge, close and latch your window, then stare at the black cat as it roams your room. It's the second time this same cat has broken into your house. Why is it back? You certainly don't keep any food in your room long enough to attract animals.

You make your way to the door to let the cat out, but suddenly the door opens without your touch. The door swings open and Jet lets himself into your home.

"Hey [Y/N], It's almost nightfall, let's go." He prompts as he barges into your home, scaring the cat. It hisses at him, before running past his feet and out of the open door.

A look of confusion flashes across his face, but he shakes it off almost immediately. "You coming?" He asks, pointing a thumb out the door.

"This better explain _everything_." You reply, following him outside. After locking the door, you and your friend disappear into the streets.

—

In the silent twilight, you follow Jet's every step. He leads you through side streets and alleys, almost without a word. Within minutes, the two of you stop and you assume that you've reached your destination.

"Almost there," says Jet, breaking the silence. He walks beside the nearby building wall, then clasps his hands together before bringing them down in front of him. He's motioning for you to use his hands as a boost to get up the wall. You oblige, stepping one leather boot into his hands, then letting him raise you so that you can reach the ledge. In one swift motion, you already find yourself gripping the edge of the nearby building and pulling yourself up.

Turning back to Jet, you're about to lend him a hand before you see him scale the wall his own way. He unsheathes his hook swords and jumps, catching their hooks onto the ledge. From here, he walks himself up the wall and within seconds you find him standing at your side again.

"It's just up ahead." He whispers and continues along the flat rooftop. The sun has completely set, leaving Ba Sing Se in the dark cloak of nightfall. You let your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you listen to your surroundings. Chirping crickets flood the night, and you seldom hear your own footsteps on the old rooftop. As you walk, you skillfully dodge hanging laundry left up on the roof. Jet, however, carelessly walks directly through the drying clothes, letting some fall down. Together, you approach the edge of the building.

"We're here" he whispers to you when suddenly the sound of a voice drifts through the silence.

Quickly, you both crouch behind a hanging sheet for cover.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" You hear a voice say. Peeking out from behind the sheet, you look for the source. From your laundry lookout, you and Jet have a perfect view of the side of a neighboring building: a two-story residential complex with small, modest apartments. Only a handful of rooms are lit up, you scope each one until your eyes land on one in particular. A bearded man stands barely visible in the lit kitchen window, tying an apron around his waist. Mushi.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day! I'm sick of tea." Replies Lee, his voice sounding as annoying as usual. You see him lounging a green cushion seat.

"Sick of tea?! That's like being _sick of breathing_!" The old man gestures in disbelief. You can only assume his nephew ignored the statement, as Mushi turns away with a sad shake of his head. He begins searching for something in the lower cupboard.

"Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" The man calls to his nephew. The next voice you hear comes from beside you. Jet speaks with a low, sly voice.

"They're not there." You turn to him and watch him open a clenched fist. In his palm he holds a pair of emerald green... spark rocks.

" _You'll have to firebend, old man_."

Did he just say _firebend_? You watch Jet shove the rocks back into his pocket, then quickly bring your gaze back to the window of the tea makers apartment, watching in suspense.

"Where are you going…" mumbles Jet as Mushi disappears from view. The old man returns momentarily.

"I borrowed some from the neighbors. Such kind people." He says to his nephew, striking the rocks together and lighting the cooking fire under his teapot. Jet sighs angrily and you turn to face him, seeing the visible frustration in his expression.

"Why did he do that? Stupid old man!" he mutters furiously.

"Hey," you whisper back, "What's the big deal? I mean, what did you expect him to do? ' _Someone'_ stole his only spark rocks."

"Shut up and watch!" He hisses at you. You're taken aback by Jet's change of tone. He's almost like a completely different person compared to the slick, cool and collected boy you hung out with at the WWE arena. He seems... obsessed. However, Jet is your new friend and you plan to give him another chance to… prove whatever it is he's trying to prove. You cautiously shuffle closer to Jet and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you really think that the sweet, elderly tea shop employee is a fire bender? There's no way, he's too soft and nice. And he loves tea."

"You don't get it, I saw the old man heating his tea—"

"He works in a tea shop,"

"NO! Without a fire! Well, actually, _with_ fire but not a fire-fire, his _bendy fire_ \- Oh nevermind."

'

"Jet," You place your other hand on his other shoulder. He's now in your grasp, facing you, no longer spying on the tea shop employees. "Why don't we leave, and you can just explain and tell me everything. I willing to listen."

"You don't really believe me, do you? You'll believe it when you _see it_." Jet stands up, and you panic, thinking he'll jump into the window and challenge Mushi to a sword duel. Instead, he turns around in a huff and starts to leave.

"Jet?" You followed after him, but he breaks into a sprint. "JET!" He's already jumped onto another neighboring building. You stand up and get ready for a chase.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Freedom Fighters Part 1

The wind blows passed your ears as you run. You're watching Jet leap from one building onto the next, and you follow with ease. He performs another silent leap in the moonlight. You're impressed with his parkour, and you recall the time he told you vaguely about his life before moving to Ba Sing Se. Apparently his home was in the treetops, near some town called Gaipan. Alas, treetops are not the same as roof tops. His jumps are decent, but not accustomed to this different terrain. You on the other hand, well, you've been jumping from roof to roof for as long as you can remember.

It doesn't take long for you to catch up to Jet, he takes notice of you and slips down into an alley. You follow suit.

As he follows the path of the dark alley, he abruptly darts around an upcoming corner, still keen on losing you. Before turning the corner yourself, a voice comes from that direction.

"Jet! There you are!" announces a girl's voice. Perplexed, you skid around the corner. Two people block Jet's path, and now you stand behind him.

"Where did you go? Longshot and I have been looking everywhere!" the girl demands, stepping closer to Jet. You can see her clearly now. She has very short, shaggy brown hair with a blunt cut fringe. Two red stripes streak each of her cheeks. She's not very tall, and she dons light armor. Jet doesn't respond to her question; he's busy catching his breath from the chase, so she continues.

"The three of us are all that's left of the Freedom Fighters! As our leader, you shouldn't be disappearing without saying anything! What if you got into trouble?" Her voice is raspy and boyish, but still distinguishable as a girl's voice. Towering next to her is a boy with a straw hat, dressed in a blue one with a quiver slung over one shoulder; he doesn't say a word. However, he does elbow the girl next to him followed by a gesture in your direction, drawing her attention onto you.

" _Who are you_?" She asks, unamused. Jet seems to have caught his breath, and he attempts to introduce you.

"Guys, this is [Y/N]." You give the strangers one stiff wave and slightly soften your angry expression, then resume to stare daggers at Jet for ditching you on the roof. He smiles awkwardly, sensing your fury, before introducing the two teens behind him.

"[Y/N], meet the Freedom Fighters. My group of rebel refugees."

"Huh, I thought your 'organization' was something you made up to impress me." You look back at the two 'Freedom Fighters'. Are three people enough to classify as an 'orgainizarion'?

"I'm Smellerbee, and he's Longshot." The girl introduces herself, then points to the tall boy beside her.

"Jet, you shouldn't run off with your girlfriend without telling us anything! We were worried."

" _Girlfriend?!_ " You and Jet exclaim in unison.

"No no, not dating. We're-" You start.

"She's... It's not like-" Jet stumbles.

" _I don't like Jet that way!_ " You state, and everything goes silent. You look around with an awkward laugh, then turn to Jet, who stares back with wide eyes. He looks surprised. "Aha… wait you didn't think-"

"No one cares, let's go home Jet," Smellerbee says. Her and Longshot start forward, pushing past you. Jet takes a step forward, lingering only a moment. He gives you one final look before following the others. In his eyes, you see frustration, but also sorrow.

"Jet, wait! You never explained your theory about the… firebenders…" You call out, ending your sentence with a soft whisper. Longshot snaps his head around to stare angrily at you, and Smellerbee yells into the night.

" _For the love of the Avatar_ , don't encourage him!"

"You guys, we can expose the firebenders together!" Jet says, with a sudden realization. "You and me, [Y/N], together, _with_ the Freedom Fighters, we can-"

"Jet, if you don't shut up right now we'll just drag you out of this alley. Let's go." Smellerbee threatens, giving him a harsh look. Jet turns to you one last time; you expect him to apologize for abruptly ditching you without an explanation. Instead, he leaves wordlessly with the 'Freedom Fighters', disappearing into the night.

Alone, annoyed, and answerless, you decide to make your way home and call it a night.

—

Surprisingly, you've just had one of the best sleeps of your life. Lately, you've been so exhausted. Tonight was the night you finally crashed, sleeping as if you were in a coma. You sleep until noon, and are finally awakened by the bright sunlight. You lay still and feel the warmth of the light on your body.

As you slowly become more and more awake, you're increasingly aware of a warmth on your torso. You open one eye and see a fluffy black mound resting on your stomach. It's moving up and down as you breathe, or... does it have a breath of its own? Your sudden movements awaken the dark fuzzball, and it unrolls, growing limbs and a head. You recognize it as the cat from earlier! You've got to stop cracking the window at night for fresh air.

The black cat stretches and lets out a yawning meow before walking over to the windowsill. To your surprise, it jumps up and lets itself out onto the roof. Maybe it's not so bad having this little visitor. (The cat is pretty cute, but you would never admit to anyone you like ' _cute things_ ').

It's time to face the new day. You stand up and stretch, the first thing you see is the tea tray, and upon it is the shattered teacup pieces from yesterday. It's a shame the teacup broke (and for the record, that was 100% Lee's fault), but the tray remains intact. Why did he freak out when you said that other name? What was it again…

Zuko.

It's an interesting name, definitely not from around here. You shake your head and continue to prepare for the day ahead.

Tonight you're donning the "Red Spirit" mask and replenishing your item stocks. Until then, you're going to take it easy. No Jet, and no Lee. Instead, you're paying a short visit to an old friend before traveling to the middle ring. You grab your massive shoulder bag, stow your mask inside, and also a handful of your red kunai. You conceal your twin daggers in your boots and grab the tea tray before heading out. You exit and follow your stairs down. You consider leaving the tray by the tea shop's back entrance, but resolve not to take the easy way out. Instead, you make your way to the front door of the tea shop and let yourself in.

The shop is bustling; you hadn't seen it this busy since your very first visit when Lee was about to fight a customer. You walk past the tables, passing the spot where you first 'met' Lee and head for the kitchen. Hopefully, Mushi is working today, so you can give him your personal thanks for making you tea, though you didn't get the chance to drink any...

While walking, you catch sight of a pair of golden eyes watching you from afar. Lee is standing across the restaurant, and it appears he's taking someone's order. However, he's not doing a very good job, considering his attention is on you. You've caught him staring, and after a brief moment of awkward eye contact, you both look away. You sneak another glance in Lee's direction and see that his attention is back to the customer he was speaking to. A brown haired girl with twin braids, each delicately resting over a shoulder. She's wearing a basic, green Earth Kingdom robe. Although she looks like any generic Earth Kingdom citizen, you definitely recognize her. She's been in the shop almost every time you've come in. She must really like the tea here. You take one last peek over your shoulder and observe her twirling a braid in her hand as she looks at Lee. Or maybe she really likes... a certain employee.

As you approach the back counter of the shop, you remember the last time you saw Lee and uncle Mushi. It was last night. When you were spying on them. In their own home. Well, at least you know where they live, in case you ever need to know that.

On second thought, maybe you don't want to face Mushi at the moment. After your invasive spying, you feel… guilty. You slip the tray on the counter and make haste for the door. You don't see, but instead _feel_ Lee's eyes focus on your every step as you exit the tea shop.

You're glad that's over and done with. Now you're due for a short visit with your old martial arts teacher, before making the full trip to middle ring. Gopan lives near the industrial district, in the same area as the Thursday market. The upper level to a semi-abandoned warehouse serves as both his home and his dojo. Though it feels weirdly corny to admit, the kind-hearted Gopan has been like a father figure to you. He trained you to fight, as well has taught you a handful of other tips and tricks that have helped you live in the streets.

As you reminisce, you almost miss the sound of footsteps behind you. Is someone tailing you? You continue down the empty street, listening carefully. A shadow quickly passed overhead, and you hear slight shuffling. Someone _is_ following you, but you don't panic. Instead, you remember Gopan's advice: "Wait for them to come to you".

Without showing any sign of worry, you stroll as usuala. The path to Gopan's turns you down an alley. Perfect. Continuing down the space between two large buildings, you hear the spy approaching from behind. You take in air through your nose and time your move. The second you sense a body less than a meter behind you, you spin. Pivoting on one leg and sweeping the other behind you. Instinctively, you grab a knife from your back boot and prepare to attack. However, as you now face your 'attacker', your eyes widen, and you relax your stance.

"SmellyBee?" You question, as you recognize the short brown hair and red face paint.

"It's 'Smellerbee'." And Longshot is here too." As she responds, someone wordlessly drops onto the ground behind you.

"Is Jet with you guys? Am I getting a visit from the whole 'Freedom Fighters' gang?" You joke playfully, looking around for Jet just in case.

"Actually," Smellerbee starts "That's who we need to talk to you about."


	14. Chapter 14 - The Freedom Fighters Part 2

"We have some questions for you, about Jet," Smellerbee states. You cross your arms silently, and wait for her to continue.

"He says he's been just sneaking out to see you, but we're worried he's going to get himself into trouble." Longshot walks to stand beside Smellerbee, and nods as she speaks.

"Trouble...?" You question, but you feel like you already know what they are referring to.

"What were the two of you doing before meeting us in the alley?" She inquires.

"Minding our own business. Ever heard of it?" You snap back, but notice the mood change, as Smellerbee's harsh expression softens.

"Listen lady, we're seriously worried for our friend here. And if you care about him at all, you should help us out. He's… having trouble letting go of some things."

"Letting go? Of what? If you want my help, you need to fill me in," You cleverly respond. Since getting answers from Jet was a bust, maybe these two could explain what the heck was going on between Jet and the tea shop workers. Longshot and Smellerbee exchange glances, then turn back to face you once again.

"I guess we have to explain a few things if we want your help… Listen up; I'll only tell the story once." Smellerbee declares. Finally, some answers. Why was Jet stalking Lee and his uncle Mushi? Why does he suspect them of being firebenders? How do Jet and Lee know each other? Why did Lee tell you to stay away from Jet? You want to ask every question at once, but instead stay silent and listen carefully to Smellerbee's retelling.

 _We disbanded the Freedom Fighters after a certain… accident happened in the town of Gaipan. It doesn't matter now, but we need to put our misdeeds behind us. Only three of the former Freedom Fighters stuck together, and you're looking at them. Jet, Longshot, and I travelled to Ba Sing Se to start a new life. We were on the ferry to the city, when Jet met the dark haired guy with the bad temper. The two got along at first, and at some point, Jet invited him to join the Freedom Fighters, although we're… disbanded. He can't seem to move forward. The new guy declined Jet's invitation, and ever since then, Jet has been insisting that this "Lee" guy and his Uncle are not just from the Fire Nation, but that they're also firebenders! Something about seeing the old guy with a hot cup of tea, when only moments before, it had been cold. Now that we're finally in the city, Jet has become_ _**obsessed**_ _with trying to expose these 'firebenders', instead of getting the fresh start we came for. Whether they can bend fire or not, it's best if we stay out of it! We asked him to stop, but he obviously isn't listening after where he took you yesterday..._

"Wait a second," You interrupt her narrative. "So you DO know where we were doing yesterday!"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie: we've actually been watching the two of you for some time now."

"WHAT!" You blurt out in disbelief. There's no way they've been spying on you the ENTIRE time. You can definitely tell when someone is spying on you. They were spying on Jet, and you happened to be there sometimes. And when you _were_ there, you never _noticed_ because it was probably at the Warehouse Wrestle Earthbending arena, and there were crowds of people. Hard to know your being tailed in an arena full of screaming fans. Yes, that's why. It's NOT because you were distracted by being with Jet or talking to Jet or getting tea with Jet or—

"So are you gonna help us or what?" Smellerbee interrupts your thoughts.

"Yeah I'll—" you pause. "What do you need me to do?"

She explains the plan that she and Longshot put together. And they want to do it tonight. As you consider their request, you feel your empty bag on your shoulder; it's practically weightless. The Red Mask inside seems to speak to you, reminding you that money is vital to your survival; in order to make money, you have to steal and resell expensive 'merchandise' you acquire in the Middle Ring! It's been a long while since your last trip, and you're running dangerously low on coins.

The surrounding alley reminds you why you're even in the industrial district: to finally visit Gopan. Smellerbee and Longshot watch you closely, awaiting your answer. There's genuine worry in their eyes, and now that you think about it, you're also concerned for your new friend's well-being. Jet's clever, funny, sly, confident; but when he saw Lee in the teashop, something about his personality changed. He seemed crazed, paranoid and… to quote Smellerbee: 'obsessed'.

Even if he and his uncle really were, ' _firebenders_ ' (you almost laugh aloud at the thought of the gentle Mushi shooting fire from his mouth like a dragon), it's in his best interest to stay out of trouble. _Especially_ since sightings of Dai Li agents are becoming more and more frequent in the lower ring. Should anyone cause a huge scene, there'd be serious consequences. Should the scene be related to the 'war' with the Fire Nation, (a war which 'doesn't exist' as far as Ba Sing Se citizens are to know), that's when people start 'mysteriously disappearing'. You have a sneaking suspicion that these disappearances are the work of the Dai Li.

After thinking over the situation in your head, you finally make up your mind. Tonight you _aren't_ visiting Gopan and the Red Mask _isn't_ visiting Middle Ring.

"I'll help you," You say to the former 'Freedom Fighters', they are grateful for your compliance. The three of you turn around and head towards residential district. You're going to miss out on your plans for tonight, but you're willing to put everything aside for one night, for Jet's sake.

—

The first step of the plan is to locate Jet. According to Smellerbee, Jet disappeared again around mid-day. They expected him to be with you, but when he wasn't, there was only one other place he could be.

As you travel back to the residential/market district, you make small talk with your new acquaintances. Correction, you only have small talk with Smellerbee. Longshot wasn't much for conversation, and you learnt that that hard way. Instead, you ask Smellerbee how she got her nickname.

"What are you talking about? It's just my name. Smeller. Bee."

"Well if _that's_ your full name, do you have any nicknames? S-Bee? Bee?" You tease, but you're only half joking about those nicknames, you'd actually like to use them.

"If you call me anything _but_ Smellerbee, _thing won't go well for you_." From her tone of voice and mild scowl, you assume she's also half joking.

The three of you finally arrive at your destination and the banter ceases. Together you scope out the buildings and alleys around the tea shop, while the sun lowers in the sky. You make a quick stop at home to drop off your large 'work' bag since you certainly won't need it due to today's change of plans. As the night approaches, shadows stretch longer and longer along the streets, and searching gets slighter harder and harder as the lighting diminishes. Longshot eventually spots the target entering a store just stone's throw away from the tea shop storefront.

"Ugh. He's probably taking 'surveillance' of the tea-place from in there." S-Bee says, annoyed. The three of you keep an eye on the building's exits and wait. It's not long before sunset is upon you and darkness slowly envelopes the street. In the semi darkness, Jet finally exits the building.

"What if he was just going shopping, and didn't actually 'disappear' again?" You whisper to your two accomplices. The three of you are currently crouched on a nearby rooftop, peeping over the ledge at Jet's every step.

"There's no way he just went out for a little _shopping spree_. " Bee replies. "Keep watching."

You do as she says, and turn back to watch Jet. He slips into the shadows of an alley _directly across_ from the tea shop storefront. Longshot lets out an audible sigh, then shoots 'the signal' to both you and Bee.

Moving fast yet stealthily, the three of you roof-hop until you're in position above Jet. He doesn't see you, at least, not yet. Over the alley, you nod in unison with Bee and Longshot, and the plan is set in motion.

First up, Smellerbee. On cue, she lowers herself into the alley, kicking off the walls to slow her fall. She lands in the alley behind Jet, startling him. He turns in the direction of the sound but looks relieved when he sees who it is. You and Longshot watch in silence.

"Jet, we need to talk." She says solemnly as she slowly approaches.

"What? Oh great, it's you. Where have you been ? I could use some help with surveillance here."

"We think you're becoming obsessed with this. It's not healthy."

" _Obsessed_?" Jet says, clearly offended. Meanwhile above, you exchange a glance with Longshot and he shoots you a nod before replicating S-Bee's drop into the alley. He move to stand with Smellerbee, and Jet looks wide eyed at both of them.

"Oh, really? You _both_ think this?" Says Jet, getting frustrated at his friends. Longshot places an arm on Bee's shoulder, showing his agreement with her statement.

"We came here to make a fresh start. But you won't let this go. Even though there is no real proof!" Smellerbee pleads.

"Well, maybe if you'd help me—"

You decide now's your turn to join the intervention. Instead of the route S-Bee and Longshot took, you first move closer to the edge of the alley. Your drop lands you right behind Jet, ever-so-silently.

"Jet, you've gotta stop this." You implore, and he turns around. The two of you are face-to-face. He looks genuinely shocked to see you standing there, but the shock morphs into a glare.

"[Y/N] not you too, I thought you would support me? I thought..." He looks down at his feet for a moment, and when he looks up, his face is more furious than ever.

"Actually, how about you stay out of this?! You don't know anything about this!" He spins and starts to go off at his friends. "And maybe you two have forgotten _why_ we need to start over. Maybe you've forgotten about how the _Fire Nation_ left us all _homeless_. How they wiped out all the people we loved! If you don't want to help me… _I'll get the evidence on my own_."

His anger fueling him, he turns on his heel, back to you. You gently raise your hands to try to calm him down, but he shoves past you, his eyes trained in the distance. Confused, and a little hurt at his actions, you follow his gaze.

He's heading straight towards the tea shop.

In a panic, you turn back to Smellerbee and Longshot, and see they're already following after him. Gosh, this wasn't going to end well at all. You jog after them, hoping that the Freedom Fighters wouldn't have to do any fighting today.


	15. Chapter 15 - Tussle In The Tea Shop

You watch in dismay as Jet barges through the doors of the teashop with unnecessary force. What's his plan exactly? Is he going to arrest them himself? You follow the angry teen and watch from the entrance of the shop, knowing you're about to witness something as bad as, if not worse than, the first time you meet Lee.

All eyes are on Jet.

"I'm tired of waiting!" he shouts before pointing his finger at Uncle Mushi and Lee. "These two men are firebenders!"

 _Shiiiiing!_ You hear the very recognizable sound of metal sliding against metal as Jet unsheathes his hook swords, readying to attack. You see Lee and Mushi glance at each other apprehensively, and you wonder what they're going to do.

Jet's eyes roam around the room, studying the reactions of the surprised customers. Two off-duty members of the Earth Kingdom guard are turned in their seats, looking at Jet.

"I know they're firebenders; I saw the old man heating his tea!" He continues, focusing his shouts at the guards.

One of them scoffs at his claim. "He works at a tea shop," Says the man bleakly.

"He's a firebender!" Jet rages on, obvious desperation in his voice, "I'm _telling_ you!"

The guard stands up, his fellow guardsman rising with him, "Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy."

Jet ignores the man this time. He turns to Lee, a crazy expression on his face.

"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do." He snarls at the apron-clad server.

Jet begins to approach the supposed firebenders. You're horrified at the person you've watched Jet become; one consumed by his own fury. You see one of the standing customers reach for his swords, and you're about to take action as well. However, Lee beats you to it.

Teaboy lunges at the customer, borrowing his dual swords. He raises the weapons in a defensive stance, his eyes burning in Jet's direction. "You want a show? I'll give you a show!"

Lee pulls one of the tables in front of him with his foot before kicking it towards Jet. Jet is too fast though, as he slices down on the launched table with his blades and jumps over the splintered wood. He lands, swinging his hook swords at Lee. Teaboy deflects them with his own swords, jumping backward onto another tabletop. Jet lunges forward, splitting the tabletop into two separate pieces. Lee moves onto one half of the broken furniture, balancing on the teetering surface.

As most of the customers flee the chaos, you fully enter the shop but keep a safe distance from the fight. Your attention is on the brawl; Jet whirls one weapon at the table legs. Lee jumps in time, and using his momentum, brings both broadswords flying down with him at his attacker. Jet tumbles out of the way just in time, landing in a crouching position. The two make eye contact, and you can't tell who is more enraged. The stare down is broken as Jet charges at Lee.

Lee catches the blow on his own swords, the weapons ringing together with a loud clang. The boys push against each other in the clash, but Lee gains the upper hand as he somehow manages to trip Jet in the skirmish.

Lee uses the moment to take the battle out of the shop, dashing out the front doors and into the street outside. Jet is up in a flash, sprinting after him with a frustrated battle cry.

You quickly follow the boys outside, and at that moment, you notice that Smellerbee and Longshot are nowhere to be seen. They abandoned their leader when things got dangerous? Even you couldn't abandon Jet like that.

Though you and Lee have a very rocky relationship, you don't want him to get hurt. And Jet, oh boy, you don't want Jet to get hurt either. No matter the outcome of the situation, it isn't looking good for either one of them.

Jet, the faster of the two, quickly catches Lee and readies to strike him with his hooked blades. Lee somehow manages to parry, and they once again lock swords,

Jet lets out a small, devious laugh, "You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?" Jet wears a sinister grin as if everything is all going according to his plan. Lee, clearly annoyed by Jet's taunting, looks resolved to win.

Uncle Mushi appears next to you from the doorway; his expression shows distress. "Please, son, you're confused! You don't know what you're doing!" He yells to Jet, hoping the teen will come to his senses. Alas, Jet is too far gone to pay the old man any attention.

Lee swings a sword at Jet, to no avail. You're dumbstruck as you watch the two combatants. Both boys seem to be gifted and experienced fighters, leaving you to wonder how Lee learned to fight so well. His movements are mesmerizing; his entire fighting style is one you haven't seen before. Jet's accusation repeats in your head. While the thought of the tea server being a firebender seems pretty far-fetched, it's not impossible that he could be... from the Fire Nation. However, the suspicion that they _might be_ from the enemy nation isn't enough reason to go attacking people harmlessly working at a tea shop.

When your attention returns to the encounter, you see Lee retreating back a few steps, Jet swinging his swords in a circular motion. Lee looks slightly weary, sweating from the physical exertion.

"Bet you wish _he'd_ help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet hums as he refers to uncle Mushi, who is still silently watching the chaos from right beside you. You look over at him. His eyes are locked Lee; he seems terribly concerned for the well-being of his nephew.

Jet swipes a hook towards Lee's feet, but Lee uses one of his own weapons to stab the hook sword through the hilt, pinning it to the ground. Jet grunts and narrows his eyes at Lee, who mirrors his glare.

" _You're_ the one who needs help," Lee replies to his previous taunt.

Both boys down a sword, they continue with one each. They swipe back and forth, dodging and countering each other's attacks in a flurry of _wooshes_ and _clangs_. You watch nervously, too entranced to do anything else but stare as they perform their deadly dance.

You see Jet just barely avoid a blow to the head as he ducks under the broadsword.

"You see that?! The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. _It'll never happen_." Jet shouts to the small crowd that has formed around the fight.

They're back at it again, attacking and defending. This could go on forever, you think to yourself. As if on cue, you spot two shadows approaching in the distance. Smellerbee and Longshot? No, it's not them… when the strangers step into the street light, you immediately recognize the two men in uniform as Dai Li agents. They advanced towards the quarrel.

"Drop your weapons." Commands one of the agents with an intimidating tone.

Jet and Lee gradually step away from each other, lowering their swords as they realize the severity of the situation. Jet then points to Lee and Mushi.

"Arrest them, they're firebenders!" he shouts to the Dai Li officers.

Mushi takes a step towards the scene, "This poor boy is confused, we're just simple refugees." He states.

That's when Pao, your landlord and owner of the teashop, runs out from the building. "This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"

One of the Earth Nation guards steps forward and confirms the claim. "It's true sir; we saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

You see Jet's expression sinking with each person who testifies against him.

The agents approach Jet; he glowers at them. "Come with us, Son."

Jet tries to resist, swinging at one of the men, but the agent catches it with his rock gloves. Disarming him, both guards pull Jet's arms behind his back and effectively binding his wrists with rock bending. They begin to drag him away, towards a wagon designed for holding captured criminals.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" He pleads hopelessly to the officers. They ignore his cries.

You make eye contact with Jet before they force him inside, looking straight into his sad, dejected eyes. The door on the wagon slams loudly, bringing you out of your trance. You look to your side to see Longshot and Smellerbee have appeared next to you. They watch wordlessly as their friend is taken away in the cart.

Aren't they going to go after him? When the Dai Li lock someone away, they are never seen again! Jet is being taken away right in front of them, and they are doing nothing! You can't just stand there and watch ass the Dai Li take Jet away! He's… your friend too!

Look's like you'll have to take matters into your own hands.


	16. Chapter 16 - Dai Li Pursuit

"Aren't you going to go after him?!" You cry out to Smellerbee and Longshot. You look between the two of them, and when you realize they don't plan on doing anything, you push past them.

"Unbelievable." You mutter, grabbing your daggers from your boots before breaking into a sprint. With both weapons at your side, you chase after the wagon while looking for a path to higher ground. You see a stack of wooden crates leaning by a nearby storefront. Taking your chances, you swiftly scale them and continue the chase along the rickety rooftops.

Following from up here is tricky. You have to watch the wagon as it rolls down the street, and carefully watch your footing as the same time. This is especially difficult when moving at such a high speed. It also doesn't help that the moon is the only thing lighting your way. Stealth is sacrificed for speed, and although you are keeping up with the cart, one of the Dai Li notices your presence. His head snaps in your direction and you lock eyes.

Oh no.

The Dai Li are master earthbenders. They are feared by many, for good reason. They're motives are unclear and their work is mysterious. Alone, you're no match for the secret service of Ba Sing Se.

You suddenly see a dark mass flying straight for you. You have to unceremoniously throw your body to the side to avoid being struck in the chest by a flying rock. You now realize the projectile was a Dai Li earthbending glove! As the name suggests, these gloves are made of earth, which is used to fight and detain, such as when they cuffed Jet. The benders can morph the earth into any shape they desire, such as a solid cannonball-like mass, just like the second one they just hurled at you. You dodge fast but feel the air around the path of the projectile brush past you. After that near-miss, you reconsider your plan of attack.

You need to get out of their line of sight; instead of continuing to follow, you fall back and take cover behind a raised portion of roof. As you catch your breath, you wrack your brain for ideas. If you don't think fast, Jet might never be seen again! Who knows what happens after a person is detained by the Dai Li, no one has ever escaped to tell the tale.

Just as you're about to track down the wagon, a hand comes to rest on your shoulder. You jump back in surprise. You didn't think your heart could race any faster than it already was. You instinctively assume a battle stance, pointing your daggers in the direction of the touch, only to lower them once you realize who it is.

Longshot and Smellerbee are standing on the roof with you. What happens next comes as an even bigger surprise.

Longshot opens his mouth, and you hear his voice for the very first time. "It's no use. Stop chasing them, you'll get caught too."

Overcoming the shock of Longshot speaking, you shake your head dismissively. "How can you both just give up that easily?!" You're shouting, not realizing the hysterical state you're in. "Jet is more than just your former group leader! He's your friend, isn't he?! Why aren't you trying to save him!"

Smellerbee says your name softly, trying to calm you down, but you turn away bitterly.

"Whatever. I don't need your help!" You set off to tail the Dai Li again, but you're restrained. One of your arms is held back by Smellerbee, and the other is gripped by Longshot.

"Jeez, you sound just like Jet. No wonder you two got along so well." Bee says while you writhe to break out of their grasp.

At her words, you gradually stop struggling and finally come to a rest. Cautiously, the two release your arms, unsure if you're going to make a run for it. You consider bolting, but instead turn around to look them both in the eyes.

"Why aren't you trying to save your friend?" You ask, genuinely curious as to why they abandoned him, when just moments before, they were trying their best to help him.

Smellerbee starts, "You're a local, shouldn't you know how dangerous the Dai Li are?! We've heard about them, and it's just not smart to chase them down like this."

"So what ARE you going to do?" You demand. They look at each other, and then back to you.

"I… We don't know yet. But we'll think of something, we always do." She shoots you a weary smirk. "Sorry for bringing you into this. Why don't you… go home and rest? We'll handle Jet, don't worry."

You would love nothing more than to pass out on your futon at home, but you feel an agonizing guilt… for just abandoning Jet. You decide it might be best to get some rest after all and think things over in the morning, with a clear head. You make one final remark to the 'Freedom Fighters' before departing.

"When you guys hatch a rescue plan, you know where to find me."

They give you a reassuring nod before leaving. You start to head home.

Exhausted from your high-speed pursuit, and mentally exhausted from the stress, you make your way back to your attic apartment. The rooftops are your chosen pathway, partially because you're already up here and don't feel like exerting the energy to climb down yet. Other than lack of energy, the cool night air feels better from up here. It cools you down, and you embrace the mild calming effect it has on you. However, after the events of tonight, it'll take more than a light breeze to clear your racing mind. As you amble home, enjoying your temporary stress reliever, you see a shadow of movement on a distant rooftop.

What now? Who could that be? Did Jet escape? You realize it can't be him. Not only is escaping the Dai Li a near impossible feat, but this person moves nothing like Jet. You keep an eye on him as you walk home, staying a safe distance away to avoid being seen. However, this person's particular movement is… familiar.

You reach the roof of the building adjacent to the teashop. With a sigh, you cross over to your own roof, approach the edge with the landing below, and climb down sluggishly. From the top of the staircase to your apartment, you squint in the darkness at the body moving in the distance. The figure is closer than before, no longer a simple silhouette. You can just barely make out the shape of a mask on the pursuer's face, it's empty eyes staring straight back at you.

The Blue Spirit. You linger for just a moment longer, watching the stranger disappear in the night scene, before ducking into your apartment. You almost crash onto your futon, like you normally would, but you spot the small fluffy shape of a cat laying on your pillow. You smile slightly, before moving the cat to the side and laying next to it. Why not let the little furball crash here? You were too tired to care anyways, drained from today's events. So much has happened in one day. So much for visiting Gopan this afternoon.

Before your mind can worry anymore, you black out.


	17. Chapter 17 - Falling Behind

Exhaustion allows you sleep for the first half of the night, but you toss and turn as morning approaches. At some point, you're no longer asleep, and you're too stressed to successfully coax yourself back to bed. Instead, you slowly sit up and look around your room. Judging by the minimal light entering through the window, sunrise is due any second now.

Yesterday's events are currently a blur in your mind, so you try to recall what happened.

You were supposed to visit Gopan during the day, then 'work' at night in the middle ring. Oh yeah, but S-Bee and Longshot meet up with you before you could make it to Gopan's dojo. Then they convinced you to join their intervention for JetTh. en Jet got really mad at you guys… And he lost his mind and attacked Lee in the tea shop.

Idiot! What was he thinking? But… The more you think about it, the less crazy Jet's theory seems. Maybe he was onto something, but that doesn't mean his final plan was foolproof. Lee is definitely Fire Nation material. He's hot-headed, mean, aggressive, and he's got an all-around 'fiery' personality. But attacking the tea shop out of nowhere? That's asking for trouble.

Getting up off the floor, you nimbly cross over to your windowsill, careful not to wake up the black cat sleeping at the foot of your futon. As you crack the window open, cool air spills in. With a deep inhale through the nose, and a long, soft breath out, you taste the fresh morning atmosphere. Your breath is just barely visible in front of you.

Feeling much more awake, you fully recollect what had happened yesterday. Jet, your only friend your age, was taken away by the Dai Li. From your window, you peer above the rooftops and into the horizon of Ba Sing Se. Jet is out there someone, and you hope he's safe.

You hate feeling powerless. You desperately want to go out and search for him, but with no help and no plan, it's impossible. To put your mind at ease, you remind yourself that former Freedom Fighters, Longshot and Smellerbee, said that they are figuring out how to save their leader. You know you shouldn't be worrying so much about this, but you hate the feeling of _vulnerability_.

Back at the orphanage, all those years ago, feeling powerless was what motivated you to change your life forever. _Ms. Haneu Gin's Children's Home_ was a miserable and disturbing place. Running away was the best decision you ever made; life in the street was infinitely better than living in that dreadful place. You were better fed living homeless than under the care of the horrendous Ms. Gin. You shudder at the very thought of her name. Escaping the orphanage was the first step to shaking that powerless feeling. This then led you to learn how to defend yourself, finding ways to make money, and developing your all-around tough exterior.

Back to the present. Alright, 'tough' girl, time to put those skills to use. No more distractions. Today. you're going to bring back the biggest item haul yet. You'll use the day to travel to middle ring, spend the first half of the night there, then catch the last monorail back to outer ring. With your remaining energy, you'll take on the richer areas of the poorer ring as you make your way back home.

With a plan in your head, you can't wait to get started. 'Working' was the best way to clear your head, and that's what you really need right now; a calm, quiet night alone, doing something you enjoy: stealthily robbing the wealthy.

As you daydream about the potential goods you'll find on today's treasure hunt, you prepare the things you'll need. After a quick outfit change, you grab your large shoulder bag with the 'Red Spirit' mask already inside. Your twin daggers are tucked away in your classic brown, lace-up leather boots that you love so dearly. You reach for your kunai collection, storing them in an easily accessible outer pocket on your bag. The same old ritual you've been doing for so long that you've found an odd sense of comfort in it.

One of the thirteen miniature knives is left behind: the blue handled kunai you acquired after your encounter with the Blue Spirit. Though you loathe the thought of leaving behind a perfectly usable weapon, you would rather keep your souvenir stashed safely in its wooden box.

That's when you recall one last thing from last night: as you were returning home, you spotted the Blue Spirit. Maybe he's more active than you once thought. You've previously pondered the identity behind that blue mask, and now you can cross Jet off the list, since he obviously can't be arrested and roof-hopping at the same time.

Now that you're prepared, you choose to get a head start on today's activities. Before setting out, you gently pet the sleeping feline, accidentally waking it up despite your best efforts. It stretches with a yawn, nudges you with its head in a loveable manner, and scratches at the front door. It seems even the cat is ready to seize the day. You turn the handle and pull the door open, watching the cat as it trots merrily down the stairs. You chuckle to yourself, then follow in its footsteps. The sun is just barely starting to rise, and the street is silent apart from the morning bird's songs.

The walk to the monorail station is very therapeutic. You find yourself going through the motions of your old routine. The earliest monorail arrives in the near-empty station, and you take your usual seat in the back of the cart. You find yourself entranced by the scenery outside, watching the sun gradually illuminate the building of Ba Sing Se. Before you know it, the monorail is slowing down to stop in middle ring. With a crack of your knuckles and a slight smirk, you exit the cart.

—

After several hours of exploring homes and shops in middle ring, you become aware of the greater-than-usual heft in your shoulder bag. You're not even halfway through the night, and you're almost at max carrying capacity. With any more weight on your back, your movement will be greatly handicapped.

You decide now's a better time than ever to head back to your home ring to do some work there. You cautiously make your way back to the station and take a late night monorail home.

At this rather late hour of the night, the stations are as empty as they are in the early mornings. This makes life easier for you as your trip is less risky. There are no complications on the ride home, and you're back at the outer ring station in no time.

After making a quick pitstop at home to empty your heavy bag, you're ready for round two. You re-tie the knot that holds your mask in place and set out into the night.

Compared to the middle ring, the items you snag in this area are lesser in comparison. The expensive goods are trickier to find. Middle ring citizens foolishly display their valuables in a china cabinet or display case. The people of outermost ring are smarter than that; their trinkets are cleverly hidden in secret spots, making the hunt that much more interesting.

A few hours more pass, and your haul is doing impressively well. At this point, you decide to call it a night and head home earlier than usual. You have fun sprinting over the rooftops, making your way back to the tea shop. If it wasn't for the bag on your back, you'd probably be doing flips as you bound over the alleys. This unique take on 'retail therapy' was just what you needed to clear your head.

You're almost home when you're hit hard with déjà vu. You spot something… someone, just a few roofs down. What a strange coincidence, that for the second night in a row, you've spotted the Blue Spirit. Unlike last night, however, he doesn't notice you whatsoever. You stop in your tracks and go completely silent, letting some distance grow between you and the stranger.

Where is he going? What's he doing? Is the Blue Spirit a thief like yourself? Or perhaps he's a vigilante? Whatever the case, your curiosity gets the best of you. Next thing you know, you're slowly following the path of the masked stranger.

This would be a lot easier without a bag of trinkets on your back, but you press on, careful not to make a noise. You're very close to the tea shop now, and you debate going home to drop off your goods. However, while you pause to think, the Blue Spirit almost disappears into the darkness. You'll lose him if you don't keep up! Looks like you'll just have to carry on, with your inventory still upon your back.

After some time, the Blue Spirit finally stops, so you take cover behind a raised portion of building. As you peer around a corner, you watch him lower into the streets. He begins to circle a certain building, approaching each of its windows.

You move to a closer hiding place and get a clear view. It appears he's trying to break into a bakery? A quiet click carries through the night air, and you see him enter through an unlocked window. So he's robbing a bakery? Is he hungry for a loaf of bread? The only thing you'd think to gain from robbing a bakery, is emptying the coin box.

Just as quick as he entered, he's out again. He closes the window behind him, then runs out of view. You'll have to be just as fast if you want to keep up with him. Standing up, you begin to cross over to the other side of this rooftop.

You're so focused on following the blue masked thief, that you don't notice the misplaced roof tile in your path, jutting up ever so slightly. Your head is turned in the direction of the blue mask, until your foot catches, and you're suddenly staring wide-eyed at the rooftop as it rushes towards you. Your foot is stuck in place, snagged by the roof tile, making the fall even less graceful. To lessen the impact, you turn your body to let your shoulder and arm hit the ground first, as opposed to falling face first.

 _Crash!_

Shit shit shit. Your bag of items hit the roof _hard_. Metal, ceramics, and other hard materials clatter together. The sound carries in the night air, probably waking up half of the outer ring.

You'd be even more worried about the attention you just drew, if it wasn't for the stinging pain in your left ankle. It was badly twisted in the fall, and it's still caught by the roof tile. You hiss in pain as you wedge it out of the crevice.

After carefully standing up, you realize that after a commotion like that, you need to move. Forget the Blue Spirit. Alas, you take one step with your bad foot, and it sends a sharp pain spiking up through your ankle. Getting away will be easier said than done. Great, just your luck! You should've went straight home instead of trying to follow the blue masked _bakery burglar_.

Speaking of blue boy, he probably hightailed it out of here the second you caused that attention-grabbing crash. You need to do the same; every second you remain risks you getting caught by citizens, the Earth Kingdom guard, or even the Dai Li.

Alright, a measly twisted ankle won't stop the infamous Red Spirit. You take one step with your good foot to the edge of the building, preparing to jump. You push off, swinging your arms to make up for some lost momentum. Mid-air, you realise the mistake you made.

You try your hardest to land with your weight on your right foot, but the second your bad foot touches down, the pain strikes again. You're ankle gives out, and you unceremoniously fall once again. This time you ensure your bag doesn't cause another scene. You manage to get your body to hit the roof full force instead, your forearms bearing the brunt of the collision. Although much quieter than your previous collapse, you're in more pain than ever.

You can't convince yourself to get up again. Instead you lay still on the roof, listening to the nighttime ambience. You hear doors opening and conversation in the streets below. Maybe if you just lay here, they won't find you.

Although probably true, you can't stay here all night! You gingerly sit up, and try to brainstorm a solution. First things first, you can't escape with all this weight on your back! You'll have to leave some things here. Avoiding any unnecessary sounds, you slowly open your pack and start to remove the heaviest items you have.

Out comes a cast iron teapot. Ugh, you just _had_ to snag one of those. Next, you remove some shattered ceramic chunks that used to make up a... vase? You frown as you carefully remove the jagged pieces and leave them on the rooftop. You continue to selectively eliminate weight from your bag, feeling a little less remorse as you remember you still have that huge pile of goods sitting at home, thanks to the first half of the night.

You lift your bag up gently to test the weight, and you're satisfied. Still, you feel terrible about leaving all these random, potentially valuable items up on this roof. Whoever ends up finding this treasure trove is in for a nice surprise.

Very carefully, you get back on your feet and look around. Which way to home? You approach an edge of the building while you weigh your options.

As you're busy thinking hard, you hear a muffled thud from over your shoulder. Someone is on the roof with you. You turn suddenly in surprise, ready to react, but your bad foot causes you to mess up your footing. You teeter backwards, the weight of your bag, though lighter than before, begins pulling you down… off the edge of the building.

You're looking up at the night sky, about to fall to your doom, when something snags your hand, preventing you from falling any farther. You're abruptly yanked back onto the rooftop, your heart still pumping with adrenaline. Taking a moment to steady your breathing, you realize you're being held in someone's arm. You panic, pushing the stranger in the chest to get away. He seems to sense your panic and lets go. You can see your saviour clearly now; you're mask-to-mask with the Blue Spirit.


	18. Chapter 18 - Amongst Dragons

The two of you stare at each other for a long moment. After an uncomfortable amount of silence, he finally speaks up.

"These roofs are old, you should be more careful." He warns, his voice lacking emotion. Or was he mocking you? You honestly couldn't tell through his monotone demeanor.

"Ha. I should be careful? Remember what happened last time?" You remind him of your last encounter, where he was the one having roof troubles, requiring you to come to his rescue.

"I'm just returning the favour." He replies plainly, seemingly not sensing your joking tone.

"Thanks for… catching me." You've briefly dropped the casual banter to genuinely thank him, but now continue with the regularly scheduled teasing. "So what's your deal, 'Blue Spirit', up to anything more exciting than robbing local bakeries?" You ask casually, from one thief to another. You cross your arms, and shift your weight, only to feel the agonizing pain in your ankle again. This causes you to awkwardly buckle to the side, but the Blue Spirit quickly rushes to steady you. You shrug him off and stand yourself, wincing slightly at the painful injury.

Though you can't read his facial expression from behind his mask, you can tell that he is concerned about your ankle. He seems hesitant to let you stand on your own, but backs off reluctantly.

"Are you okay? Sure you don't need help?" He looks down at your ankle, then peers over his shoulder at at pile of trinkets you left on the roof, before turning back to you.

"Yes I'm fine. I was just heading home anyway. I'll manage." You try to push past him, but the pain is too much. You stumble forward, flying straight into the boy. He manages to grab you, but the sudden momentum of your body sends you both to the ground in a thud.

You roll off of him in a flash, slightly embarrassed that you've made a fool of yourself in front of the mysterious stranger. This time, though, you remain on the ground, not daring to put weight on your injured ankle. You watch the blue spirit sits up beside you.

"You'll manage?" he uncharacteristically lets out a small laugh from behind his mask and you feel your face grow warm. "Manage to hurt yourself even more."

You huff and turn your face away, surprised by his sudden sense of humor. You can't bear looking at that smug mask of his any longer. You turn your attention to the night sky, watching the stars twinkle in the distance.

"Sorry, I uh— take it back. But you're not going to get very far with a hurt ankle."

No matter how much you wanted to save your pride, he did have a point. How were you going to trek home like this? You sigh, hanging your head low in defeat. The Blue Spirit lean in closely beside you, and gestures to your boots.

"Let me see your ankle."

You eye him suspiciously, but don't sense any ill-will from the masked stranger. You finally decide to carefully unlace your brown leather boot. You slide your dagger in the opposite boot with it's pair. Continuing to remove the footwear carefully, you notice that your joint has swelled slightly. You watch as he cautiously reaches his hand out and touches your ankle. You flinch slightly at the contact. He examines the swollen area from all angles. After some time, he speaks up.

"Sprained, but not broken." He states simply. You groan to yourself, as you reach for your boot. Well, this is just great. How were you supposed to do anything with a sprained ankle?

"Where were you headed? Home? Do you live close?" He asks, as you lace your boot back up.

You find it strange to be parented by a fellow thief, but answer his inquiry anyways. "No... It's quite a ways away from here."

"I'll help you home." He offers, and he begins to stand up. "I can carry you on my back, just tell me where you need to go."

Your first instinct tells you to decline his offer, but logic warns that you're options are limited.

He offers you a hand and helps you to your feet, mindful of your injury. Once you're standing, he begins to remove the sheath on his back. You watch curiously, wondering what kind of weapon hides inside. He holds the sheath in his left hand, then lets you onto his back. You're taken aback by this unexpected kindness. To him, however, this is just his way of returning a small favour. You approach him cautiously, but don't climb on just yet.

"Just a second," You tell him, and you remove your bag. He watches as you proceed to empty it entirely. Once all your good are now left sitting out on this rooftop, you throw your empty bag over your shoulder again. Now ready, and carrying no unnecessary weight, you cautiously pull yourself up on his back. He lifts you with an impressive ease. You realise he doesn't know where to take you yet.

"Just head this way." You whisper, pointing in the direction of the tea shop. "I'll tell you when we're close." You say, trying your best not to talk loudly into his ear.

"Hold on." He warns, building up speed as he approaches the edge of the roof. He bounds over the gap and lands gently on the next building over and continues his sprint. You're shocked; the extra weight he's carrying seems to have no effect on his mobility,

For some time, the two of you remain silent. As he carries you towards your destination, let your eyes close and you listen to the sound of his footsteps. You open your eyes at the sudden sound of his voice.

"Why were you carrying all that stuff in your bag?" He asks, breaking the silence.

You scoff slightly, isn't it obvious? "I'm a thief, it's what I do."

"It's easier to just loot their coins, why take objects unless it's something you need?" You're not in the mood to explain your whole 'imports' operations, but you do have your reasons for stealing material object rather than just coins. You decide to give him the short answer.

"It's all about keeping a low profile. People tend to notice an emptied coin box more often than they notice something like a missing vase or some other expensive, yet useless item."

The Blue Spirit exhales sharply, as if he find this amusing. "Haven't you seen the posters? You're not exactly 'laying low'."

You consider this. You had actually forgotten about the wanted flyers that had been posted around, each displaying a fairly accurate depiction of your masked persona, 'The Red Spirit'. Normally you would have dealt with an issue like this in a timely manner, but you had been so caught up with everything over the past little while… it just slipped your mind.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to collect those..." You state, tightening your mask with one hand, feeling suddenly self conscious about your identity. You couldn't risk anyone figuring out the face behind the mask, not even your fellow masked crook. Though you were definitely injured and would regret the walk home, you plan to tell the Blue Mask to drop you off a block away from the tea shop, as a extra measure to safeguard your identity.

"You'd better be careful yourself," you warn him, continuing the conversation. "You're getting quite the reputation as my copycat, 'Blue Spirit'. The city guards are going to be extra watchful knowing there's two masked thieves running around at night."

"Those pathetic excuses for proper authority? They're no threat." He states simply.

"Turn right at that building with the red-colored roof." You gesture mid-conversation, feeling him nod, then you continue the discussion, "What about the Dai Li?"

He doesn't say anything this time, but you continue on the subject anyways.

"They've been getting involved more often now. Just yesterday they… I, uh, saw them intervene in a civilian brawl."

"At least they do their job." He comments briefly. You're finding it hard to keep a flowing conversation going with this guy. Well, he never did seem like the talkative type.

"In that commotion, I heard word that there were firebenders in the area. Pretty strange, huh?"

At this, he seems to tense up, but you're not prepared for what he asks next.

"Do you believe it?"

"...believe, what?" You ask for clarification.

"Do you think there's fire benders in the city?"

You think about his question, and realise what it means to you. Jet had accused the tea shop employees of being firebenders, but were they even fire nation? Let alone benders? Sure Lee is aggressive, usually angry, and ill-tempered, but that doesn't mean he's from the Fire Nation. Oh, and he's also a shockingly skilled swordsman, something that took you by surprise.

Then there's his appearance. He's got very dark black hair and pale skin. Definitely not a common look in the Earth Kingdom, but was it Fire Nation? You've never been outside the outermost wall of Ba Sing Se, so you just don't know. Furthermore, you can't forget the one thing you have in common with Lee; that trait that made you take such notice of him in the first place. You both have golden eyes.

Let's consider the unlikely: If Lee and Mushi really are firebenders, that would mean Jet wasn't crazy after all... and you let him down! But firebenders or not, now Jet's being held captive by the Dai Li because you weren't able to save him.

By now, this Blue Spirit is wondering what's taking you so long to answer his simple question.

"Well?" He breaks the silence.

"Whether there is or isn't firebenders living in Ba Sing Se, it doesn't concern me." You blurt out, no longer in the mood for conversation.

"I just thought that, since you're wearing a Fire Nation mask, you might know something."

Your heart skips a beat, your chest suddenly feeling heavy. You awkwardly adjust your hold on the Blue Spirits shoulders.

"This mask... belonged to my mother," you manage to mumble, "But I didn't know anything about it being from the Fire Nation..."

He pauses to think for a moment, then speaks again. "You don't know the meaning of your mask?"

"No, I don't." You answer, but suddenly realise you friend might know more than he's letting on.

"What do you know about it?" You inquire rapidly.

"I'm not certain..." He starts, "But you're mask reminds me of the ones used in a play called 'Love amongst the Dragons'."

"...I've never heard of it." You think hard, but the name just isn't familiar. "What's the play about? What part does my mask play?"

"'The Dragon Empress'… That's the role your mask reminds me of."

You bring one hand up to your face and touch your mask gently. All these years, the only remnant left of your parents was this mask. And only now, with some masked stranger, are you getting answers.

"What about your mask? It has a similar style to mine; what's it's meaning?" You decide to take the attention off yourself.

"I wear the mask of the 'Dark Water Spirit', from the same play."

"Where did you get yours? You're mask I mean. And how do you know so much about this play? Where this play fr—"

"I just happen to know." He blurts out. " Are you done asking questions?"

It seems like you've offended him in some way… You remain silent and he simply continues his movement across the rooftops. You only dare to speak again to let him know when to let you down. You tell him to stop a block away from the tea shop itself.

"Here? This... is the area where the Dai Li made their arrest yesterday," He comments as he starts to set you down. You gently lower yourself onto the street, and choose to ignore his inquiring comment.

"Thank you for the help." You thank, nodding your head respectfully. He returns the gesture and begins to turn away, but you catch his shoulder in your hand without thinking.

"If you know anything else about this mask, I'd be very grateful for any information!"

He pauses before speaking, you notice he does this frequently. He's one who is careful with his words.

"Why is the mask so important to you?" He questions, fully turning to face you again.

For the entirety of this encounter, you've been physically vulnerable around the Blue Mask, but now as you open up about your personal life, you feel it emotionally.

"Well… I grew up in an orphanage. They had no information about my parents or where I'm from, except for this mask. I'm told it belonged to my mother and she left it for me. Whether my parents are currently dead or alive, I have no idea. But this mask… It's my only lead."

He listens carefully to your story, and then you await his reply. In time, he finally speaks up.

"The play I mentioned, 'Love amongst the Dragons'" he begins, and you hang on every word. "It isn't from around here..."

"Where's it from?" You question.

"It's a Fire Nation play." He finally states.

"F-Fire Nation? I mean, I should've realised by the design but… Are you sure it's Fire Nation? Not some generic Earth Nation play mask? Why would my Mother have a mask from an enemy nation?"

"I've said too much already." He interrupts, then begins to leave again. "Stay safe." And with that, he ascends a nearby building and disappears. You linger for only a moment, then turn in the direction of the tea shop. You'll have to very slowly, but surely, limp your way home. Each step sends a new pain up your lower leg, but you eventually find yourself behind the Pao Family Tea Shop. You drag yourself to bed, and embrace sleep.


	19. Chapter 19 - The Nightmare

_There's nobody around._

 _Normally the streets of lower ring Ba Sing Se would be bustling at this hour, but there's not a single person in sight. You squint up at the sun, which is positioned in the middle of the clear, blue sky. Where is everyone?_

 _You switch your attention back to eye level, only to find yourself directly in front of a building._

 _The tea shop._

 _You're unable to see through the windows; they've been boarded up. Now that you mention it, all of the surrounding buildings have been blocked off and abandoned, as if the entire district had up and left the great city. You find yourself stepping towards the front doors of the tea shop._

 _Before reaching the entrance, the doors slowly swing open with a long creak, the only sound in the overwhelming silence. It sends shivers down your spine. From here you can see the lack of light in the building. The shadows of tables and chairs are barely noticeable as you narrow your eyes, attempting to focus your vision. Though every single thought in your head is telling you not to enter, the mystery grips you, tugging at every ounce of curiosity in your body._

 _You pass through the doors._

 _There's a faint spot of light coming from the rear of the restaurant; the wick of a lit candle flickers in the darkness. You find yourself drawn towards it, with its promises of warmth and light. You reach the back counter, the candle only an arm's length away. You reach out, and the flame seems to lean towards your palm, bathing your hand in its soft heat. As you go to grab the candle, the flame snuffs out instantaneously, darkness swallowing the room. You hold your breath, suddenly aware of how alone you are. Your chest feels heavy, and your breath is shaky. For the first time in a long time, you feel genuinely terrified._

 _The room suddenly illuminates. You snap your gaze to the source. The room is empty, except for the boy in the center, tied to a chair._

 _Jet._

 _You rush over to him in a flash, "Jet! Jet, are you okay?" You ask, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. He doesn't answer, his head hanging low. You crouch down behind him, keen on freeing him from his binds. To your disappointment, you can't. His wrists are bound with solid rock._

 _You curse to yourself. The Dai Li had done this. You stand up and walk around to the front of the seat._

" _Jet, what have the Dai Li done to you?" You ask, concerned. You crouch in front of the unresponsive boy, trying to get him to look at you. Reaching one hand out, you gently touch his cheek. When he doesn't react, you tenderly lift his chin. A single tear falls from his downcast eyes. Your heart breaks when he finally meets your gaze, a tangible agony pouring from his glossy eyes. He utters a single phrase, barely audible with the hoarseness of his broken voice._

" _Behind you."_

 _Your heart drops. You slowly pull your hands away from your friend, draw your twin daggers, and stand up. You inhale deeply one last time before turning around._

 _Five Dai Li agents stand in a row, blocking off the exit to the tea shop. Only one faces you; the one in the center. You were already scared, but now you're absolutely horrified._

 _The agent is sporting your familiar, crimson mask._

 _The other agents turn around, one by one. They all wear the exact same mask, the mask of the Red Spirit, or the Dragon Empress, as you've recently learned. The center Dai Li agent takes a step forward. Your eyes are glued to him, trying to make sense of this puzzling situation. He raises his arms, pointing them at you._

 _Assuming he is going to arrest you, you prepare to duck out of the way to avoid the impending rock cuffs. Only he doesn't shoot at you; he lifts his arms towards the ceiling of the shop._

 _Bright orange flames burst from his palms, licking at the wooden supports of the roof._

 _Your mouth hangs open._

 _Fire benders._

 _You barely manage to duck out of the way of another fiery burst. You feel the heat as it rushes by you, the floor where you once stood a black scorch._

 _Now all five of the Dai Li agents are taking aim. You scurry away, dodging the blasts to the best of your ability. The whole tea shop has been set ablaze, the wildfire spreading and devouring every flammable object it comes in contact with. Smoke begins to fill your lungs and sting your eyes. Your throat tight, you get low to the ground._

 _Remembering your friend, your eyes whirl around the room, frantically looking for your friend. He's nowhere to be seen. You crawl across the floor, the parts untouched by fire getting exponentially smaller. Breathing is getting hard, and you can barely see three feet in front of you._

 _A shadowy figure stands in the smoke. Hopeful, you drag yourself towards it, praying for it to be Jet. A cough attack sets over you, immobilizing you for the time being. The silhouette draws closer, seemingly unbothered by the suffocation of smoke. You reach an arm out, desperate for whatever help you can get. The shadow draws a sword. Every hope you had had now vanished._

 _The dark outline steps into your area of visibility, revealing not a Dai Lee officer, but a woman in a flowing, red robe. Her long ebony hair has been pulled back, each silky tendril waving with the flames that burn the tea shop to the ground. The Red Spirit mask covers her face, its ominous stare piercing through your soul. The woman lifts the weapon; the firelight glinting off the sharp, silvery blade. You close your eyes, your tears evaporating as they trickle down your cheeks._

 _You hear the wind whistle as the sword slices through the air on it's way down._

Then you wake up.


	20. Chapter 20 - Pai Sho

Life seemed to go back to normal after the Jet incident, more or less. Apart from the frequent nightmares, and your encounter with the Blue Spirit last week, your daily life has been rather boring. For this past while, you've been practically immobilized thanks to your sprained ankle. It tooks a couple days of resting before you were able to even walk on it again. It still hurt, and you did have a slight limp, but at least you could go out and buy food. Eventually, you even managed to set up shop again, and sell your goods on the market. You made a great profit; it felt good to have some weight in your pockets again.

When walking longer distances without excruciating pain became possible, you took a stroll to the outer ring library. You searched for books related to your recent _topic of interest_ , but nothing seemed to be of use. But... this is to be expected. Why should you find a book about _Fire Nation plays_ in an old Earth Kingdom library?

You found a few books regarding _plays and theatre_ that seemed promising. You took them home, and they've been your entertainment while you're stuck in your apartment with nothing to do. The books mention classic great Earth Kingdom plays and playwrights, but nothing about ' _Love amongst the Dragons'._

You spend most of your free time in your apartment, searching the books for any info about the mysterious Fire Nation play, but to no avail.

Needless to say, you've had a dull week. You're inflicted with boredom, mixed with that dreadful feeling in your gut that you can't quite shake. Perhaps it's guilt, for Jet. Or hurt pride, after managing to injure yourself this badly. Maybe it's the pain of false hope, since you finally had a lead on your personal case, but it's left you in a dead end. You're determined to find any piece of information that'll get you back on track, alas, all of this fruitless research has left you mentally exhausted.

At the moment, your sprained ankle still hurts to walk on, but at least you're able to walk limp-free. Although the tea shop below seems to be the source of your recent drama, you've been craving a hot cup of tea all week.

You spend the majority of today inside, flipping page after page in a book that describes the work of early earthbending stage hands. Although this chapter was particularly interesting (you're amazed by the practical, non-combative uses for bending), you close the old book and place it aside. That's enough reading for now. You've decided: you're going downstairs for some _tea_.

Each step hurts, but it's nothing compared to a week ago. Following the slim, stone staircase down, you look out at the Ba Sing Se horizon, taking in the warm hues of the setting sky. That's when it hits you. You recall what happened the _last time_ you were at the tea shop. Lee and Jet... had that huge fight.

You almost feel bad for Lee, as he was just trying to defend himself and his Uncle. You can respect that.

You suddenly realize all the tea shop employees probably saw you walk in with Jet. Are they going to ask you about the situation? Ask why you were with Jet when it happened? It's too late to go back, though, as you're now standing outside the front doors. With a deep breath in, you manage to convince yourself to push into the shop.

You see into the teashop, or... well, part of it. A girl is standing in your way, she must've been on her way out. She's startled because you've pushed the door in towards her, rather quickly.

"Oh! Sorry about that!" She yelps and jumps back slightly to avoid getting hit by the door. Instead of moving aside, you just walk in. She makes way for you to get by. As you pass by her, you get a good look at the person you almost hit with the door. She has a layered fringe of brown hair framing her face, the rest of her hair is tied up in a fluffy ponytail. She dons a rather formal looking robe; it's green, like most Earth Kingdom garments. This girl looks very familiar, but a name isn't coming to mind.

"Let's go, Lee!" She says excitedly and she walks out of the store. A teen with his hair slicked back follows after her.

Wait, did she just say Lee?

You turn your head towards the person following the girl, and find him staring back at you. Your eyes lock for a moment. You stare wide eyed at the boy, who like the girl, is also dressed in semi-formal attire. His hair is styled out of his face so you almost don't recognize him. His eyes, however, give him away. You stare into shimmering gold eyes, one of them framed by a deep red scar.

He breaks eye contact, his eyebrows lower from surprise back to a scowl, and he exits the building with the brown haired girl.

You try to process what just happened as you slowly walk into the shop. You hear the door shutting behind you, and before you can spare a second thought, someone calls your name.

"Miss [Y/N]!" You hear, and your eyes focus on the only other person left in the shop. It's Mushi, he's sitting at a table at the far side of the shop. He motions for you to join him.

The last few times you saw Mushi, you were either spying on him or standing beside him as his nephew was attacked by your friend. You suddenly feel immense dread, but as you see the man brightly smiling from across the shop, a weight is lifted from your shoulders.

You walk through the empty shop and approach the table, greeting him with a respectful bow. You can thank your old friend Gopan for teaching you how to respect your elders.

"Well, we haven't seen you around for a while! Notice anything new in the shop?" Mushi is standing near an obviously new addition to the corner of the shop. One table looks much different from the others, at it is perfectly round and a grid pattern is stretched across the top. You've seen this kind of table before….

"I see you guys got a Pai Sho table!"

"Ever played before? Come join me for a game!" he gestures to the empty chair across from him, and you approach to take a seat.

He smiles at you as if he is greeting an old friend. "There's been hardly any customers, so I've had a chance to practice." He tells you.

You examine the set-up on the surface in front of you. This table is specifically made only for playing Pai Sho. The top is a perfect round circle and the classic Pai Sho style grid lines are etched across the surface. You watch Mushi begin to reset the pieces, placing them each in their respectful starting position.

"Know all the rules?" He asks with a smirk. That's another thing you learned from your mentor Gopan, the rules of the ancient game of Pai Sho.

"I've played once or twice, actually." You return a smug smile and begin to set up the playing pieces on your side of the table.

"I'll get us some tea to drink while we play," The man says excitedly, and heads to the kitchen.

 _("Jasmine, probably." You think to yourself with a smile.)_

You finish setting up the pieces, and wait for his return. So far so good, he hasn't asked you any questions about... the incident, and he's practically treating you like an honored guest! True, you were on fairly good terms with him before the big fight in the shop, but shouldn't he hold some resentment towards you? Or at least ask for an explanation! He definitely saw you in the shop the night of the fight.

You look around the empty shop, and search for signs of the fight. It appears they did a speedy clean up, and probably got replacement tables for the ones damaged during the battle. One thing about the area, however, is not how it used to be. Aside from yourself, there isn't a _single_ customer in the shop. And since mere moments ago, you saw Lee leave with some girl, that probably meant you and Mushi are the only ones here.

Where was Lee headed anyways? With a girl no less? He looked so different too, he wasn't wearing his old tea apron and his usually messy hair wasn't covering half his face. It gave you a clear, unobstructed view of his scar, which you are still dying to know the story behind.

Uncle Mushi returns, carrying a tray of tea with him. It smells delicious, and you eagerly take a cup.

"I hope jasmine tea is okay, it's my favorite." he claims, (confirming your hypothesis). You burn your tongue just a little with the first delicious sip, but you immediately feel more relaxed as the cup warms your hands.

"Shall we?" Asks Mushi, gesturing to the game pieces on the tabletop. You set aside your tea cup, crack your knuckles, and make your first move. After placing a lily tile in a gate, you study Mushi's reaction. He says nothing and maintains a serious facial expression. You know you've found a formidable opponent.

The two of you make some small talk as you methodically move piece after piece, trying to create your harmonies.

"I'm glad you decided to visit, we haven't seen you for some time now. I was beginning to worry." Mushi comments, as he slides one of his tile to an adjacent spot.

"Oh don't worry about me! I've just been— busy lately… You know how it is." You give a weak laugh and pick up your teacup to take a sip. You can only open up to Mushi so much, what would he think if he found out you're the city's most infamous thief?

"Actually, lately I've been the opposite of busy." He says with a chuckle. "Business has been slow these past few days, we haven't had many customers since the fight."

There it is. You knew it was going to come up sooner or later. Mushi however, doesn't seem angry or phased in any way. The only emotion you can read is his intense focus on the game pieces in front of him. You've noticed he has a very strategy-based playing style. He moves a tile, then looks up. You, however, are currently staring into your teacup. He's noticed you're mind has gone elsewhere.

"I'm sorry about your friend." He speaks up. This grabs your attention and you look up from your drink. There's genuine sympathy in his gentle eyes. "I'm sure they will release him soon, he is just a teenager after all."

"But…he attacked you. No— he attacked _your nephew_. How can you let that go so easily?"

" _There is strength in apology, but even greater strength in forgiveness_." He says wisely. "I'm sure the boy was just confused, and there was no real harm done in the end."

You stare in disbelief at the old man, impressed by his wisdom and surprised at his ability to forgive. His nephew could have been seriously hurt, but he's dismissing the fight entirely! Now that you think about it, both teens could have been _severely_ injured… possibly killed if the fight continued any longer. They each had their own strengths, and proved to be talented fighters. It was only a matter of time before one got the upper hand and delivered a potentially lethal blow.

"...When I watched the fight, I noticed that Lee's a very talented sword fighter..." You finally speak, as you make your next move in the game.

"Yes…he- knows how to defend himself when the situation arises."

"Where did he learn to fight like that?" You blurt out, unable to keep your questions to yourself due to your ever-present curiosity.

Mushi pauses for a moment, and seems to debate whether or not he should answer. He takes a long sip of his tea, makes a particularly clever move on the game board, and lets out a deep breath.

"He's been trained to fight from a young age. A family tradition, one could say." Mushi explains hesitantly.

"If you don't mind me asking…" You place your tile, ending your turn, "...How did he get his scar, that marking on his face?"

Mushi nods, but doesn't reply yet. He pours himself some more tea. You've been wondering about the wound ever since you met him, but you're worried if asking so blatantly came off as rude.

You're about to apologize for asking such an intrusive questions, but Mushi speaks up. "A personal question indeed… but I will trust you with this explanation. My nephew's scar… was inflicted by his own father, my brother." Mushi eyes you carefully, as if he expects some sort of reaction. You simply stare back with shock, sympathy, and intrigue. Mushi continues solemnly.

"My brother is a cruel man. He was ashamed of his own son. He left that permanent reminder on his face, and then banished him from... the family." You see sorrow on his usually jolly face as he speaks. "I'd rather not go into deep detail, this is something we've left in the past. My nephew and I are in Ba Sing Se for a new life."

Great, now you feel terrible for asking. But at least this answered something. Unfortunately, the answer you got only leads you to have even more questions! What inflicts a wound like that, and so permanently? Where is their family originally from? Are they wealthy? Why was Lee's father ashamed of his own son? _Are they firebenders_?

You begin to feel sorry for Lee, his rough childhood explains his rough personality. You had once thought that the worst fate to befall a child is to grow up without parents. After this story, you reconsider.

You realize Mushi has finished his turn and is waiting on you. You try your best to strategize, but your mind is racing with questions and theories. Instead of asking more about the scar or their complicated family situation, you play it safe and change the subject.

"So," You start as you slide a rose tile into the line between the red and white garden, "What's Lee up to? Who was that girl he was with earlier?"

Mushi smiles widely, "Yes, that would be his date for tonight. Her name is Jin."

You try your hardest not to spit out your tea mid-sip. "Lee has a date?!" You exclaim, sounding a little more surprised than you had intended.

Mushi laughs in a jokingly disapproving manner, "I know that my nephew can be a little rough around the edges, but he has a good heart."

Wait- wait- wait-, with Lee's completely undesirable personality, how did _he_ manage to get a _date_? Who is this Jin girl? That's when it hits you: you've seen this Jan girl before. She's that same girl who frequents the teashop. The one who is always bothering Lee while he works. Her hair is usually in twin braids, which is why you didn't recognize her right away with her new hairstyle.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the old man moving a tile across the board, creating a harmony around the center. He had won the game of Pai Sho.

"Good game, sir." You complement, fascinated by his approach to the game.

"Many underestimate the importance of the white lotus tile." He replies, referring to the piece that sealed his victory. "No one piece is of lesser importance than the rest. One must use them _all_ to complete a winning harmony." Your respect for the man only grows as she shares his wisdom with you.

A quick glance at the window tells you that you've spent more time in here than you had originally intended. Mushi offers to play another round, but you kindly decline, deciding that you should take your leave for the day. You thank the tea maker for the delicious beverage and the entertaining round of Pai Sho, and leave the shop.


	21. Chapter 21 - Dinner Date

You step out of the warmth of the cozy tea shop and step into the cool and refreshing evening. The sun is just barely visible, and will soon set completely, leaving the city cloaked in darkness. This is when the businesses light lanterns and candles, bathing the outside streets in a warm orange glow.

You wander down the road, as you don't plan to head home just yet. Your 'research' books are waiting for you, but you're not mentally prepared to take in any more knowledge on _Fire Nation plays_. Instead, the mysterious mood of the night draws you in, and you find yourself embarking on a scenic stroll around the neighborhood.

The mild pain in your right foot shoots through your leg with every step, but over time it has become more bearable. You almost forget the pain entirely as you take in the beauty of the dimly lit streets.

A quiet bustle is heard from each restaurant you pass by. You pass a ramen restaurant, then a Taiyaki stand, and you pause to watch a Jianbing vendor fold a giant crepe. Each food stall looks more appetizing than the last, causing your mouth to salivate at the thought of eating such a delicious meal.

Your growling stomach convinces you to stop and get something to eat, so you step into a noodle shop. A quick pat on your pocket reassures you that you have enough coins for a simple meal.

A server greets you with a warm smile and shows you to your seat. You sit by yourself; something you've gotten used to. Your seat is right near the kitchen; from here, you can see the steam rising from behind the counter. The cooks are hard at work, boiling noodles and assembling bowls, for their many customers on this busy night.

A waiter is already approaching your table. You quickly sit up, anticipating the interaction.

"Hello, Miss, waiting for someone?" He questions, gesturing to the empty chair across from you.

"No, sir, it's just me tonight." You reply.

The man shifts awkwardly, recognizing his incorrect assumption, "Oh, so sorry to assume. How may I help you?"

"One order of the beef udon, please. Oh, and a cup of jasmine tea as well."

With that said, the waiter bows and marches into the kitchen. You place your elbow on the tabletop, propping up your head with your hand. As you study the room, you suddenly realize why the server had asked if you were alone. The majority of the restaurant's tables are filled with couples tonight. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves as they chat away with their partner, laughing at jokes every now and then and constantly smiling.

You force yourself to smile, wanting to feel included. Whatever. Instead, you try and force yourself to think about your delicious meal that will be coming shortly. A savory bowl of thick noodles, warm broth, and sweet beef. A server carrying a platter of beverages drops by, handing you a steaming cup of tea. You hug it between your palms for a minute, before taking the first sip.

Your eyebrows furrow as the tea hits your tongue, confused by the flavor. This...this is not good?

You now understand the situation. You're so used to Mushi's tea that you had forgotten what normal tea tastes like. No wonder the tea shop had become so popular since the old man started working there. The liquid in your cup tasted so bland, practically _flavourless_ compared to the usual at Pao's. To be frank, you were utterly disappointed. This was nothing more than hot leaf water, as opposed to well-crafted tea brewed by Uncle Mushi.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

An out of place, angry yell travels throughout the restaurant, which has now gone silent. You instinctively turn toward the source of the shout and pinpoint which table the sound came from. A waiter at that table seems to shuffle away hesitantly, and the soft chatter of the restaurant slowly returns.

Just as that waiter steps out of your line of sight with the table in question, you almost spit your tea.

Sitting across the restaurant is a red-faced Lee, with his _date_. What was her name again? Jen? Jin? Whatever. He's made it clear to the whole restaurant (and surrounding area) that he and Jan are _not_ a thing.

You carefully take another peep in their direction, and sure enough, his iconic scar is visible even at this distance; a smear of deep red across the profile of his face. That's Lee alright.

Tea Shop stalker girl, whatever her name is, doesn't seem phased by this sudden, angry Lee tendencies (such as yelling in public). She just sits there smiling away, slurping at her noodle bowl.

Your server suddenly returns with your food, surprising you as he blocks your view of Lee's table.

"Your beef udon, Miss." He announces as he places the hot bowl of noodles in front of you.

Acting fast, you question him before he can run away, "Excuse me, sir, but is it possible for me to switch tables? It's rather stuffy over here, and I would really appreciate a table closer to… uh- the _fresh air_."

You spot an empty table close, but not too close to your pal Lee, then you turn to the server and flash him your certified genuinely-nice-person smile. The server hums to himself as he surveys the restaurant aswell, "Of course, A table near the front has opened up. Please follow me."

After transferring your soup bowl, and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, you find yourself seated two tables behind Lee and Jin. In a perfect position to eavesdrop, you find yourself extremely curious as to how his date is going.

You slurp up your noodles as you listen to the couple in question. You are faced away from their table, to avoid being seen. You're back is turned to them, and Lee's back is turned to you. Jin, however... let's hope she can't recognize the back your head.

"The waiter was only asking if we wanted dessert!" Jin says with a giggle.

You can almost sense an unamused expression coming from Lee. Without missing a beat, she continues. "So, how do you like the city so far?"

Lee's reply is short and monotone. "It's okay."

"What do you like to do for fun?" Her reply bounces back immediately after his response.

"Nothing." he says very quickly. To this, she doesn't respond immediately. After a painfully awkward moment, Lee speaks up, to your surprise.

"You have… quite an appetite for a girl."

"Um… Thanks?" She seems slightly off-put by his remark but continues anyway.

"So. Lee." She starts. "Where were you and your Uncle living before you came here?

She's straight to the point, isn't she? You're dying to know the answer as well, every ounce of your concentration is blocking out the sounds of the restaurant and focused on listening in.

"Umm… Well, we've been traveling around for… a long time…" Lee doesn't seem too keen on giving an easy answer. Once again, you _know_ he is hiding something.

"Oh! Why were you traveling so much?" Retorts Jin instantly.

Now this you've got to hear. Lee starts hesitantly, "We were… uh… part of this traveling circus."

 _What._

"Really?! What did you do? Wait, lemme guess." She pauses. "You juggled."

Silence.

"Yes. I juggled." Comes the voice of someone who doesn't sound like they can juggle.

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle, can you show me something?" Jin request in a sickly sweet tone.

You hear a clutter of some small objects, and you can only assume Jin has just handed Lee some items to juggle. It takes every ounce of willpower to stop you from turning fulling around to get a good look; you do NOT want to blow your cover. Can tea boy actually juggle?

Temptation gets the best of you, and you turn your head ever so slightly to watch with your peripheral. You see a blur of motion, which is short-lived, ending after a series of crashing and clanging sounds. Lee messed up his act, dropping everything in the process.

Smiling, you take a sip of tea to suppress your giggles. There's just no recovering from something like that.

"I haven't practiced for a while." He tells her. Smooth.

"It's alright," Jin says, snickering profusely. Her tone suddenly becomes more serious with her next words. "Hey... I wanna show you one of my _favorite places_ in the city."

The couple pays for their meal and heads for the exit. What's next for this disaster date? You leave some coins on your table and start to tail them.


	22. Chapter 22 - Date Night

A busy, public restaurant; definitely not your cup of tea. You prefer the shadowy realm of the city rooftops and alleys. Luckily for you, that's exactly how you're tailing Lee and his date.

Jin and Lee are strolling down a not-so-often traversed brick path through the city. Their path grows darker and darker as they gradually travel further away from the hub of the commercial district. The darker it gets, the more comfortable you are following from the shadows. You can't have any slip up now; if Lee knew you were spying on his date, he would be absolutely livid.

From up here, you can just barely make out what they are saying.

"I'm so excited for you to see the Firelight Fountain. The lamps make the water sparkle, and reflect in the pool in the most _beautiful_ way!" You hear Jin say to her date excitedly.

Firelight Fountain, she said? You wrack your brain, thinking about the possible fountains in this area, especially something with such a flashy name like 'Firelight Fountain'. There _is_ a fountain nearby, but, in your opinion, nothing worthy of the title 'favourite place in the city'. You could show Lee landmarks _much_ more memorable than some boring, old fountain.

Jin leads Lee a little further before stopping. You hide behind a ridge and do your best to stay hidden. Jin speaks up.

"I can't believe it! They aren't lit!" She says in distress.

Lit? You notice the ring of unlit street lanterns surrounding the fountain in the center. Your attention is back on Jin and Lee. Although dark, Jin's sadness is visible; her shoulders are slumped and her head is hanging low.

Lee is standing just behind her, hesitantly, before slowly approaching her side.

His low voice barely travels through the air. "Close your eyes. And don't peek."

She pauses for only a moment, but obediently lifts her hands to her face. She stands silently.

What now? Lee looks around the area and you have half a mind to duck out of sight. Rather, you remain as still as possible. Humans register motion a lot easier than a still object. As long as you are semi-ducked behind the building ridge, and completely still, Lee probably won't see you.

And that's exactly what happens. As he surveys his surroundings, his gaze hits your general direction. You keep as still as a rock and he doesn't seem to notice a thing out of place. Without knowing where to focus his attention, he sees you as some black shadowy shape; one with the building.

Although he's stopped observing the area, you don't dare to move a muscle. Only your eyes move to watch his every movement. He seems to be confident that no one is watching him, not even Jin.

Lee approaches the fountain, then brings his palms together in front of him, almost as if in prayer? No, you are suddenly surprised to see him make an abrupt movement. His right hand forcefully extended in a sharp motion, followed by his left, then his right as he alternates movement between his arms. What is he-

Small, yet bright flashes of light snap around the whole area. It takes you a second to realize, but the whole space is slowly getting brighter and brighter. You do a double-take, as you can't believe your eyes. The lanterns are being lit?!

One by one, the lanterns in and around the fountain light up. Your cover of darkness diminishes in the new, soft lighting, and you are forced further into hiding. It's more difficult to spy on them now. Your eyes snap back to Lee, who is finishing his mysterious array of motions.

That's when you see it.

The flames licking his palms.

The sparks that flicker from his fingertips.

Lee is...

 _firebending_.

Your jaw drops. Jet was right… Jet was right this whole time! Lee IS a Firebender! He-

Your thoughts are interrupted as Lee turns to Jin and talks once more. You tell your heart to stop pounding so loudly, as it's making it difficult to eavesdrop.

"Okay… now you can look."

In the warm light, you clearly see Jin's face as she lowers her hands. She's in awe as she takes in the fountain.

You, yourself, have never seen this fountain fully lit before…and though you don't want to admit it, the sight before you is breathtakingly beautiful. Street lamps circle the area, giving the whole scene a warm glow. The fountain itself is twinkling profusely with different floating lanterns that gently drift about. As for the water, it's dark pools glimmer with reflections, only to be disrupted by ripples where the water cascades from one tier to the next.

' _Oh, wow…'_ you think to yourself.

"Oh wow!" Jin exclaims. She's lowered her hands from her face and she begins to slowly approach the fountain and Lee. You are unsure from this distance, but- is that a smirk on his usually-sour face?

"What happened?" Jin questions. "How did they light? What did you..."

She stops mid-sentence and exchanges a glance with her date, who is now by her side. In silence, they stare at each other for a moment, before both turning to admire the fountain.

You find your gaze drawn to the fountain as well. You're so mesmerized, that you almost miss Jin's hand as it reaches for Lee's.

The couple is now holding hands. You almost feel bad for invading their privacy like this. Almost.

It feels like you're watching a performance. A romantic play, much like those Fire Nations plays you've been researching lately. You're on the edge of your non-existent seat.

Jin makes the first move, she leans in for… a kiss!

"I BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING!" Lee sputters. He effectively blocks her smooch by raising an item in between their faces. You audibly sigh in relief as their kiss was obstructed, and you're shaken by Lee's change of character. Where's the grouchy, short-tempered teen you know all too well? His awkward, soft-side is almost… off-putting to see.

"It's a coupon... for a free cup of tea." Lee awkwardly continues.

Jin seems annoyed but speaks up sweetly. "Lee… this is so sweet."

She accepts the gift and gently removes the coupon from his grip, effectively eliminating the barrier between them. Lee jumps back a little bit, increasing the distance between him and his date.

"Don't thank me! It was my Uncles idea…!" Lee admits. "He thinks you're our most valuable customer,"

' _Most valuable customer'?_ What's THAT supposed to mean? Surely even _YOU'VE_ given them more business than this new girl.

That's when 'New Girl' starts to close the distance between them.

"Your Uncle is a good teacher." She gently reaches for his face with one hand.

"I have something for you too," she says caressing his cheek, turning him to face her. "Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

Lee stands stiffly but does as he is told, scrunching his eyes shut, looking like a goof. Jin leans in once more for the kill. It takes a lot of strength to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. This was getting cheesy, even by romance-play standards.

Nonetheless, you continue to watch this date unfold. Their lips meet, and Lee remains awkwardly frozen in his stance.

However, within the blink of an eye, the awkwardness melts away as he presses into the kiss. This takes you by surprise. So much so, that you stumble backward and lose your footing. What's gotten into you lately?

Your little stumble makes a small thud as you catch yourself on the roof with your hands.

Lee pulls away from the kiss and his eyes dart in your direction.

 _Crap crap crap._

"What's wrong?" You hear Jin's voice say.

You're so focused on staying still, not moving a muscle... that you don't feel the weight shifting in your pocket.

In fact, you don't realize before it's too late: your hefty coin purse slips out of your pocket!

It doesn't make much noise as it gently clinks together when it hits the roof, but that's when it starts slipping down the incline!

It slides further and further out of your reach, and you dive further and further down the slope of the roof in a desperate attempt to stop it before it reaches the edge.

You find yourself leaning off the roof-top, reaching for the coin purse as it just tips over the edge! You've almost got it! But the draw-strings, that hold the coin-purse shut, just slip through your fingers.

It's over.

You wince as you hear the coins meet the stone street below, each coin seeming to spill out and roll in a different direction, letting out a choir of metallic ringing. Your coin purse was particularly full tonight since you were prepared for a night on the town.

You need to make the split-second decision: Fight or Flight. Well, more like: admit to Lee that you were spying on their date all night OR escape embarrassment but lose all your coins.

"It's complicated. I have to go." You hear Lee say. That's it, you needed to get out of there. You can make that much coin back in a night of good thieving.

Careful not to fall off this roof, you scramble to your feet and make a break for it. Only looking back once to see all your precious coins sprawled on some empty street, sparkling one last good-bye in the candlelight.


End file.
